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veephoenix · 3 days ago

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years of sleep — n.s. one shot

"She has always chalked up his teasing and looks to his naturally charming nature. Noah has always been boyfriend material—but never her boyfriend."

Noah and Reader have been drawn to each other for years, but have never dared to act on it—until a wedding and a one-night stand, in which their buried feelings are brought to the surface, along with some misunderstandings.

one shot ✨ noah sebastian x fem. reader words: 11.6k (it's a mini fic, let's be honest) reading time: about an hour it's divided in 2 parts so you can "bookmark it" at part 2 if you don't have time to read the whole thing in one go.

tags & trigger warnings: pure self-indulgence. two attractive idiots in love that don't know how to break the ice—until they do. misunderstandings. Noah has almost shoulder-length hair in this one. manbun!noah. angsty fluff, dirty talk, sexual content (implied masturbation, oral sex with both receiving, p in v protected). mentions of reader having a scar but no further explanation (implied past abuse but no more references to it). fluff, beach setting, noah applying sunscreen on reader, reader having a kink for noah's hair. let me know if sth else needs to be added. - Work inspired by this post by @defuckingthrone-dot-com - Honorable mention to @somebodyels3 for letting me use her butterflyclip-thoughts on this one 🦋

years of sleep — part 1 ☀︎⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

It’s not the first time they’ve seen each other, but it’s the first time they’ve looked at one another from opposite ends of the room as if nothing else exists.

They have known each other for two, maybe three years. Her friends are Noah’s friends, and by extension, they have become part of the same circle. Yet, despite the shared acquaintances, despite the countless gatherings and parties and concerts, they have never really spoken—never dared to exchange more than a handful of pleasantries, a few polite questions, and the passing comment about how great the show’d been before drifting away.

But there’s obviously something there. Something that’s always been.

And tonight, they can’t escape what it’s meant to be.

The wedding takes place at a seaside resort, where lush gardens stretch toward the shore, with palm trees everywhere swaying in the breeze, and a stone path that leads to an extensive beach.

She first sees Noah in the hotel lobby. The space is crowded, buzzing with conversation and laughter. The moment their eyes meet, the world shrinks. A pull—subtle but magnetic—draws them in. And then, as if fate conspires to close the distance, Nicholas the groom, appears beside her and steers her toward Noah.

Their greeting is brief, restrained. A formal hug. Fleeting contact. Her hello stays in his mind. Her voice is soft and sweet. Confident, too. And that smile? That pretty smile has him struggling for words.

He wants to tell her she looks beautiful. He doubts he’ll have eyes for anyone else that night, not even for the two getting married.

She wears a slate-gray dress, short and form-fitting, adorned with delicate rhinestones that catch the light. The thin straps expose her shoulders, her collarbone. There’s a necklace around her neck that could easily pass for a choker. The thought makes something in Noah twitch. Her earrings match the glimmer of it beneath the cascading waves of her hair. Her perfume, her scent… It unsettles him in a way he doesn’t fully understand. But, if he’s being honest, he doesn’t want to.

He could say all of this to her, or he could keep it simple: You look beautiful. But he says nothing. Instead, he pretends to be interested in whatever Nicholas is saying to Matt, though he’s acutely aware of her gaze on him.

She’s just as aware of him—because, for all his efforts, he’s terrible at being subtle.

Noah looks devastatingly handsome today. A black double-breasted suit accentuates his lean frame, and for the first time, his brunette hair is pulled back into a low bun. It’s the first time she’s seen him with his hair up and there’s something about it that’s very attractive. So attractive that she has to turn around to avoid Noah seeing her nibble on her lower lip.

As she looks away, so does he, letting Matt claim his attention. Alana claims hers, arriving in a stunning purple gown, effervescent with excitement. Her joy is infectious, so much so that, for a moment, she can pretend she hasn’t just spent the last few seconds lost in thoughts of Noah.

The venue is bathed in soft, ivory hues. Rows of elegantly arranged chairs line the aisle, their white cushions pristine beneath the glow of the sun. Sheer white drapery frames the altar, where tall glass vases filled with delicate baby’s breath and white orchids stand on either side.

Noah stands on one side of the venue, positioned between Matt and Jolly. She is on the opposite side of the main path, nestled among the bride’s family and friends. She’s never thought much about marriage, but for the first time, the idea doesn’t seem so distant. She wouldn’t mind standing where the bride is now, as long as the man beside her is N—

She doesn’t have time to shake herself from the absurdity of that thought because, at that moment, the bride and groom seal their promises with a kiss. The room erupts in applause and cheers.

She dares to glance to her right. And as if drawn by an invisible thread, Noah looks her way, catching her eyes.

He’s clapping, like everyone else, but he stands out. He’s taller than most, impossible to miss. And then, he winks at her—a wink accompanied by a smile so effortlessly confident, so devastatingly attractive, that her knees nearly give way beneath her.

She’s in deep trouble.

God, she just hopes the makeup conceals the flush creeping up her cheeks.

The celebration continues. The air is filled with laughter and clinking glasses. Music swells through the venue. The food is exquisite, the drinks abundant, and the guests are entertained.

Despite the social nature of his job, Noah isn’t someone particularly outgoing and social. Rather, he prefers to keep to himself.

But tonight is different. Tonight, he’s at ease, caught in the warmth of celebration, happy for his best friend. The air hums with good vibes, and for once, he isn’t the center of attention. He wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Not just because his friend is getting married, but because this day has given him something he’d never had before—an entire day and night in her presence.

The hours slip by, and frustration coils inside him. She’s right there, close enough to touch, yet he can’t seem to break the fucking ice. It’s maddening. He’s trapped in a dance of restraint. He knows it must be obvious, the way he looks at her, the way his body betrays every thought he tries to suppress. She’s the girl he’s barely spoken to, the one he’s only seen in fleeting occasions—yet he’s consumed by her. He’s been thinking of her for weeks, months. Even years, for fuck’s sake. She’s in his dreams.

He’s dying to know her, to be near her, to hear the cadence of her voice as she talks about the things she loves and the ones she hates. He wants to learn her—her flaws, her habits, the little things.

But more than anything, he wants to know the taste of her lips, the sounds she makes when she’s touched in the right places, the way she will moan when his hands and lips press on her skin and when his cock is buried deep inside her.

He has to do something about it, and even though it’s been almost the whole day already, he’s willing to do it tonight.

As the others drink and the minutes slip away, Noah watches her. Discreetly. Intently.

The way she moves, so gracefully and entirely unselfconscious. The way she leans into her friends when she speaks. The dimple that appears in her left cheek each time she laughs, the way her shoulders shake, the way her hair ripples with her movements. She keeps tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, but it refuses to be tamed.

And he watches the way she blushes every time she catches him looking.

When the clock strikes midnight, the dance floor overflows with guests, lost in the music. Neckties have been loosened, hairpins discarded. Jolly has long since abandoned his suit jacket. Matt sits at the table with a girl on his lap, whispering something in her ear that’s making her laugh so hard that even Noah is tempted to walk over and find out what the hell he’s saying. Nicholas and his bride have disappeared, and Noah smiles at the realization, exhaling a quiet laugh as he finishes the last sip of his champagne. Then, he’s back to looking for her.

And he finds her.

This time near the exit that leads to the garden, which is so dark and only dimmed by beautifully decorated lampposts with vine and white flowers wrapping around them.

She stands at the threshold of the stone path, the soft glow from the lanterns casting a golden halo around her. The distance between them is vast—he’s at the other end of the room. But it doesn’t matter. They don’t need words to communicate.

She blinks. A glance over her shoulder.

And then she’s gone.

Noah sets down his glass without a thought as he rises from his seat. His jacket is left behind—he likely won’t see it again, much like Jolly��s.

He weaves through the throng of dancing bodies, mutters apologies, sidesteps laughter and swaying limbs, people kissing. The pulse of the music fades as he steps outside, swallowed by the stillness of the night and the back noise of waves crashing.

She’s out of sight.

But he can smell her.

Burberry. Vanilla, rich and warm, laced with something darker, something almost sinful.

He follows the scent.

The stone path leads to a fork—one trail winds toward the beach, the other into the garden.

He hesitates, pulse thrumming. Instinct takes over. He veers into the garden.

Minutes later, he moves parallel to a stretch of resort rooms, their arched balconies overlooking the grounds. Streetlamps line the pathway. A sea breeze stirs the palm fronds, the leaves whispering secrets into the night.

And somewhere ahead, she waits.

It has been almost five minutes since she slipped out of the wedding hall. She leans against the wall of one of the buildings closest to the beach, the stoney surface pressing against her bare shoulders. Noah still hasn’t appeared.

Maybe she misread everything—his looks, his winks, the tenderness of his smiles. Maybe she wasn’t obvious enough. Maybe the pull between them was only in her head, a trick of longing and circumstance. Or maybe it’s just the wedding, the romance in the air making her see things that aren’t really there.

Exhaling, she pushes off the wall and steps into the garden, rounding the corner of the small building.

And collides with a solid chest.

The impact is sudden, stealing her breath. Instinctively, her hands fly to the masculine chest for balance, fingers splaying over the firm muscle beneath the black shirt. His hands find her waist, steadying her, holding her in place.

For a moment, neither of them moves.

She looks up, and Noah’s almond-shaped eyes pierce trough her, dark but soft. The scent of his cologne—woodsy, expensive—wraps around her, muddling her thoughts.

Under her palms, she feels the taut ridges of his abdomen.

Under his hands, he feels the softness of her curves, the warmth of her body through the thin fabric of her dress.

It takes everything in him not to let his hands drift lower—to her ass.

Then, as if the absurdity of the moment catches up with them, they grin—two idiots completely and utterly lost in each other.

A second later, Noah lifts a hand to her cheek, fingers featherlight as he tilts her face up to his.

And he kisses her.

His lips capture hers, slow at first, testing, savoring. She melts instantly, arms winding around his neck, her fingers slipping into his hair. Even in heels, she must rise onto her toes to reach him properly. And this mouth—warm and insistent— tastes of champagne, a sweetness that only makes her hungrier for more.

She barely notices when he presses her against the wall, steading himself with a palm on the wall next to her head.

By the time she comes to, she’s breathless, her lips are swollen, and Noah’s body is caging hers, his hands cradling her face now, his thumb stroking her skin. He watches her for a moment before his mouth trails from her jawline to the sensitive column of her neck, and when his lips graze that one spot—that spot—heat coils deep in her belly.

She would have collapsed if not for the hand he slides to her waist, anchoring her, keeping her exactly where he wants her.

“Let me take you to my room,” he murmurs against her skin. His voice is husky and his breath hot.

He pauses just long enough, searching her eyes, making sure she knows that this is entirely up to her. Whatever she wants. Whatever she desires.

It’s the quiet patience in his expression, the almost tender way he waits, that has her putty in his hands. She knows she’ll always be safe with him. It doesn’t matter that they haven’t spent more than five minutes alone together. She feels it in her bones, in the space between them, in the way he looks at her like she’s the only thing that matters.

Her answer is effortless.

“Lead the way,” she says with a smile.

Noah’s grin widens. He steals another kiss—because he can’t help himself—before lacing his long, tattooed fingers through hers.

Without another word, he leads her away. Away from the music, away from the voices, from prying eyes.

The walk to the room is hurried. Adrenaline and hunger run through their veins. Noah grips her hand, glancing over his shoulder every few moments, his smile impossibly wide, as if he already knows that there’s nothing that’ll change how the night will end.

He barely makes it to the door without stopping midway to press her against the nearest wall, to claim her lips again, to let his hands roam freely over the curves he has only imagined.

By the time they reach the secluded corridor where their rooms are, they are almost running.

A strap of her dress has fallen, slipping down the smooth expanse of her shoulder, and just as Noah swipes his keycard against the door reader, he notices.

“Wait.”

Two fingers graze skin as he lifts the strap, restoring it to its place.

The mere brush of his fingers on her skin gives him such a sensation that goosebumps rise on his skin. Noah holds her gaze for a moment. As he gets ready to open the door, her hands curl into the collar of his shirt, pulling him down to her. Her mouth meets his in a kiss so deep, so hungry, that Noah nearly forgets himself, nearly forgets where they are, forgets that anyone could walk by and see him stripping her bare against the cool marble hallway floor and making love to her.

Somehow, through sheer willpower, he manages to open the door and push her inside, barely breaking contact with her lips.

Inside, he fumbles for the bedside lamp, bathing the room in a light cozy glow.

She’s already pulling the hairband from his hair, letting the strands fall loose around his face. She threads her fingers through them. She doesn’t know what shampoo he uses but his hair smells like paradise.

Everything is messy. Desperate. A little awkward.

And yet, within seconds, they are standing at the center of the room, facing the untouched bed.

She pauses, chest rising and falling, one hand at the nape of his neck, the other resting lightly on his chest.

She looks around. His belongings are neatly arranged, each item in its proper place. The small details confirm everything she already suspected about him—Noah is meticulous. Even in chaos, he is composed. He’s perfect, and the hand on his hip, delicate and supportive, adoring but never crossing the line, confirms it too.

He’s waiting for her to say something, so his heart almost skips a beat when she slides to her knees on the floor. Heels still on. Her hands on his belt.

Noah lets her unbuckle it. Fingers move with precision, making quick work of the button and zipper of his slacks. His shirt is next—he unbuttons it, but leaves it open, exposing tattooed skin, muscle, inked lines she clearly wasn’t prepared for.

She inhales sharply.

A near-moan escapes her lips at the sight of him, and Noah smirks.

He would have teased her for it—would have taken his time letting her explore—but then she tugs down his pants.

Her breath catches.

The outline straining against his black Calvin Klein boxers is… larger than she expected.

He watches the moment she processes it, sees the way her pupils dilate, the way her tongue peeks out to wet her lips.

She flicks her gaze up at him, seeking confirmation, blinking once—twice—before curling her fingers around the waistband of his boxers.

And when she pulls them down, Noah is the one exhaling sharply.

She doesn’t break eye contact.

And when she finally moves forward, Noah knows—he’s done for.

She licks him from the base to the tip. She takes her time, savoring him and entertaining herself just enough to make him shudder. She revels in his reaction before enveloping him in the warm, wet heat of her mouth and taking him on the ride of his life.

For the first few moments, Noah doesn’t know what to do with himself. He throws his head back and lets out a guttural sound as she takes him deeper, the suction sending jolts of pleasure straight to his core. His muscles tense, his hands flex at his sides, his breath starts coming in in ragged gasps.

His fingers twitch before finding their way into her hair, threading through the silky strands as he cradles her head and looks down at her. Such a good girl.

She looks so focused. He strokes her scalp gently, then guides her back and forth, his control unraveling with every flick of her tongue, every hollow of her cheeks. That’s it. Keep going. A vein bulges at his neck as he struggles to keep himself in check.

“That’s... Yes. God, sweetheart.”

The sight of her, those lips stretched around him, eyes flickering up to watch his reaction…

With a sharp breath, he forces himself to pull away, already mourning the loss of her warmth. He runs a thumb over her lower lip, and she catches it between her teeth, nibbling at it. The action makes him laugh—a deep, throaty sound.

He offers his hand, and she takes it, rising to her feet. Without hesitation, she slides the straps of her dress down her shoulders, letting the fabric slip past her curves and pool at her feet.

She’s not wearing a bra, and the thong she wears is nothing more than a whisper of lace, a mere suggestion of modesty.

Noah eats her up with his eyes.

Before he can reach for her, she turns, climbing onto the bed, moving like a kitten. She pauses on all fours to look at him over her shoulder with a coy smile that makes his stomach clench.

Noah swallows hard. He’s about to lose it.

When she shifts to sit back, reaching for her heels, he stops her with a touch.

“Let me.”

He pulls his underwear and pants back up before kneeling at the edge of the bed. His grip tender as he slides her shoes off, pressing a kiss to the skin of her ankle. The care in his touch makes her pulse race. It’s so gentlemanly. She’s never felt so cherished. So lucky.

Her underwear comes off next. The weight of Noah’s eyes on her feels heavy, but it makes her feel safe anyway. She wants him.

She reclines against the pillows, stretching out languidly. She parts her legs. Noah stands there for a breath, taking her in. Her confidence only deepens his hunger.

He sheds his clothing and shoes and joins her, covering her body with his without yet touching. His fingers trail up her cheeks, his eyes searching hers.

“Where do you want me?” he murmurs.

“Anywhere you wish to be.”

He laughs and she trembles under him, loving the sound.

That’s easy, he thinks. I’m already in bed, with you.

Still, he takes his time, kissing his way down her body, savoring every inch. Loving how the necklace wraps around her neck. He spends needed time on her breasts, playing with her nipples, his tongue circling, lapping. He looks up to see her lips parted and her eyes intently on him. She still not making any sound. Not yet.

When his hand slides down her ribcage, he notices an old, ugly scar, just beneath her left breast. He also notices the way she stills. He takes one look at her, then kisses the scar without saying anything else and moves on.

He worships her belly, dips his tongue into her navel, nibbles at her hip bones.

He leaves the bed only to sit back on his heels on the carpeted floor. He searches for his hairband discarded earlier. When he finds it, he ties his hair up again, the sight alone enough to make wetness pool between her legs.

Without warning, he pulls her toward him by the ankles.

A gasp escapes her as he buries himself between her thighs.

There it is.

His tongue parts her, teasing. He tastes her like a man starved, and it’s the truth—he’s been starving for her for years. His hands grip her hips, holding her in place as she starts to writhe beneath him.

She makes another sound. A soft, breathy moan. Then another. And another.

It’s the sweetest, most erotic music he’s ever heard, and it only makes him more relentless. He keeps on sucking. He doesn’t stop, not until she’s trembling under him, clutching the sheets, her thighs quivering around his head.

“Beautiful,” he says.

She’s still catching her breath when she peeks up at him from beneath heavy lids, her cheeks flushed and lips dry and slightly parted. The sight makes him chuckle, the sound so laced with affection that it envelops her as if the sound of it alone was a comforting blanket.

“Condom?” she asks when she regains some stability in her breathing.

Noah blinks, nodding as he starts looking around and rummaging through his things.

“I’ve got one… just give me a—” He curses under his breath, shoving aside his clothes. She watches him move around the room naked, cock hard. “Fuck. I know I have one… somewhere.”

She laughs, watching his frantic search with amusement. She has no idea that, at this very moment, Noah is contemplating death if he doesn’t find it. But then he spots it. He tears open the packet and rolls it onto him. He exhales sharply, running a hand through his still tied hair but pushing a lose strand back. “Sorted,” he mutters, positioning himself over her on the bed.

She slides a hand behind his neck, drawing him closer.

“Come here,” she demands softly.

And God help him, he does.

She unties his hair, again, freeing the brunette strands to cascade over his forehead. Her fingers slide through the locks, and at the same moment, he pushes into her, slow and deep.

A gasp catches in her throat as she stretches around him, heat and wetness engulfing every inch of him.

He feels fuzzy. It’s unbearable, exquisite. His eyes are locked onto hers, and for a breathless second, they simply exist. A moan spills from his lips at the exact moment one escapes her, their voices melding in perfect synchrony.

It’s better than he ever imagined.

It’s better than she ever imagined.

He waits, letting her adjust. When she shifts, just the smallest tilt of her hips, it’s all the encouragement he needs. He moves, achingly slow, each stroke a deliberate act of worship, so careful it almost makes her go mad. A tight, desperate sensation builds in her chest, and for a moment, she thinks she might cry.

She has imagined herself under his body many times. Too many to admit. She has touched herself in the quiet of night, fingers slipping between her thighs, wondering what it would feel like to take him this way, to feel his hardness inside her, the delicious weight of him pressing her into the mattress. To experience the solid heat of his body, his pubic bone against hers, the muscles of his stomach flexing against her own, his breath coming in broken gasps against her lips as he steals kisses whenever he can.

Reality is nothing like she imagined.

It’s a thousand times better.

Noah is heavy and much bigger than she is, but instead of feeling smothered by his weight, she feels enveloped in a delicious embrace that promises to take her all the way to paradise, if she’s not already in it.

His pace is controlled. The way he moves over her, the way he looks at her, with a little wrinkle between his eyebrows that says he’s being a victim of this delicious torture too, the way his hands touch her body, cling to her...

His thrusts grow harder, faster. Her thighs cling to his hips. Her feet hoover just above the mattress. Her nails sink into the inked skin of his back as the pressure builds, and he hisses through his teeth. His reaction is instant. He catches her wrists, gathers them in one of his large hands, and pins them to the pillow above her head.

Her breath stutters.

Then, without warning, he thrusts deep.

Take me.

A strangled cry tears from her throat.

Noah’s rhythm shifts, urgency overtaking restraint. His movements become frantic, driven by something raw and insatiable, and she matches him, meeting every thrust, begging for more. A bead of sweat rolls down his temple. She can feel the heat of him everywhere—his sweaty skin against hers, his breath hot and labored against her lips, his body relentless in its pursuit of ecstasy.

If she thought he was handsome before, it’s clear she hadn’t seen him fucking her, covered in sweat and lost in the decadent dance his body is dancing with hers.

“I’m going to come,” he warns when he knows his release is imminent, voice rough and desperate.

She feels a rush of satisfaction so intense it nearly tips her over the edge. She wants to prolong this, stretch it into eternity, but she also wants to see him break. She wants to watch him fall apart. See his expression when it happens.

Noah is holding on by a thread. He thinks about how once he comes, he’s going to get her to follow him, and then he wants to hold her and have her fall asleep in his arms. In the morning, he wants to see her wake up, blink up at him through sleepy eyes, wants to see her make up-free, in the first light of dawn.

Fuck, he’s in so deep. And not just physically.

As he teeters at the edge, he refuses to go alone. He slides a hand between them, finding the swollen bundle of nerves that will send her spiraling with him. His fingers work, and within seconds, she is there, climbing, soaring, shattering. The orgasm is scorching. Noah practically roars against her shoulder, biting her without intending to, but she seems to like it, because the moment his teeth sink into her shoulder, she tenses around him. He is still spasming, releasing himself into the condom, when she trembles, arches, and suddenly moans loudly and prolonged.

She is coming and squeezing him, every last drop.

His arms hold her against him, crushing her to him as they both tremble through the aftershocks. She can feel the erratic thump of his heart against her chest. He can feel the sweat of her skin clinging to his.

They feel...at home.

Noah tilts his head to look at her, catching on the red marks he’s left on her skin. On her shoulder. Clavicle. Breasts. Suddenly, there’s uncertainty flickering behind his eyes.

He’s never done this—whatever this is. He knows it’s not just sex. It’s something more. Something that’s been brewing, growing beneath the surface for some time.

She opens her eyes, lips parted, still catching her breath. The sight of her like this, so flushed and disheveled, so swollen from his kisses, hair tangled in wild waves around her face… She could easily fall for a nymph, ethereal and untamed, as if she belongs to the wild.

“Are you okay?”

Noah is surprised, for it is not him asking the question, but her. He almost laughs.

“I’m fine,” he assures her.

Without thinking twice, he lifts a hand and brushes his fingers along the curve of her cheek, soft and reverent in his touch. This moment—the after—, this touch, it feels like a greater intimacy than anything they have just done.

Her lips touch the line of his jaw, nuzzling against the faint stubble that has already begun to shadow his skin. He shaved that morning, but the roughness is there, and she loves it.

His kisses are different now—ghostly, soft and quiet. They make her heart grow wings and flutter.

Noah pulls away with obvious reluctance, murmuring something about taking care of them. She watches as he slips from the bed, and the moment he is gone, she feels the loss of him like a physical ache. Still, she gathers herself enough to ask him to open the sliding doors to the ground-floor balcony. Noah obliges, and when he does, the distant murmur of laughter and music drifts from the garden, a reminder that the rest of the world still exists beyond this room.

When he returns, he is utterly, shamelessly naked. He moves with the confidence of someone at home, still just as devastating and delicious as he was that morning, when he was wrapped in a tux and his hair was pulled into a perfect man bun.

She wants to keep Noah for herself. Forever.

He holds a damp hand towel, hesitating only a moment as he approaches the mattress and murmurs, “May I?”

She nods.

The first touch of warm cloth against her oversensitive skin makes her shudder. He is careful, tender in a way nobody has ever been with her. She holds her breath. She’s never been cared for like this.

Minutes later, he stands beside the bed, still naked, hesitating.

She watches him, her knees drawn up, an arm draped loosely over her chest. A cool breeze filters through the open door, rustling the curtains. Salt and water.

“Stay,” Noah says, his voice almost tentative. “Please? I promise I don’t snore.”

She has to laugh. He’s so adorable. She nods.

Relief floods his face as he climbs in beside her, tugging the sheets over them. She curls against him instinctively, pressing her face into the warm space between his shoulder and neck.

Noah smells of sex and that masculine stench that is every man’s own. If only she knew that he is inhaling her too... And that, deep inside, he wants to wake up with his nose in her hair and her naked body clinging to him all the mornings he has left.

They talk for a while in hushed voices, the adrenaline still pulsing through them. He asks about her favorite food and her favorite flowers. She asks about his hobbies. About his job—what’s the best and worst of it. He mentions martial arts, and she hums, intrigued, and not-so-subtly lets her hands explore his biceps, his thighs, all tattooed, confirming what she already knew. He is strong, but beneath all that muscle, there is softness too.

She falls asleep half on top of him.

Noah falls asleep with a hand resting on the small of her back, fingers curled over the curve of her ass, the other cradling the back of her neck, keeping her close as if afraid to let go, and his nose buried in her hair, just like he’s dreamed so many times.

When she wakes up, her cheek is pressed against something firm yet solid and comfortable. It takes a few seconds for reality to settle around her, her mind still tangled in the haze of sleep. The first thing she registers is the faint soreness between her legs. For a moment, her heart leaps in her chest in surprise, but then she becomes aware of the calm that envelops her, of the warmth and security she feels. Of the arm around her, pressing her tenderly against the male body lying on the bed.

She lifts her head, and there he is. Noah fast asleep. His breathing slow and steady, lips slightly parted revealing just a hint of his teeth. A stray lock of hair has fallen over his cheek, and before she can think better of it, she reaches out and brushes it aside.

Noah is a handsome man, but like this, with his guard down, his face relaxed, his body molded against her—he’s breathtakingly beautiful.

Surrendering to temptation again, she’s about to kiss him and wake him up, steal the first drowsy moments of his morning, when a vibration hums from the nightstand on his side.

The screen of his phone lights up, and her eyes are instinctively drawn to it. Half draped over his chest, she reaches out just to check the time, but the moment she picks it up, a notification banner flashes across the screen.

LILIPUTH 👶🏼 "Hey! Mom wants to know if you can pick me up Friday instead of Saturday. She’s busy Saturday morning, so she’d rather drop me at the airport Friday. She says to hurry up because we’re already late, and flights are super expensive! Also, she kinda thinks you should pay for them... but don’t tell her I said that! See you soon!

She frowns. She processes the message. What it means, or what it could mean.

“Mom says”?

Liliputh and a baby emoticon?

“Pick me up”?

He should’ve paid for flight tickets?

Her stomach twists.

The phone nearly slips from her grasp as the words sink in.

Fuck.

Is Noah married?

Divorced?

Does he have...a child? Because that sure as hell sounds like a whole lot of parental responsibilities.

She’s holding her breath. Her mind scrambles to piece together a puzzle she wasn’t expecting, one she wasn’t even aware existed.

And it’s not that he’s done anything wrong. It’s not that he’s lied.

But she hadn’t thought about Noah having a life before her. A life this big.

Panic swells in her throat. She realizes she’s laying on top of him sideways, her breasts pressing against his tatted chest. She’s panicking. She no longer feels comfortable or safe in his arms. The sheets feel more like a trap rather than a cocoon of safety. She needs air. She needs space. She needs to get out.

It takes her less than two minutes to slip out from his arms, gather her clothes, and make it to the door in last night’s dress, barefoot, heels in hand. She doesn’t look back. Her bare feet move silently against the floor. Once she reaches the hallway, she presses her back against the door, heart slamming wildly against her ribs.

She doesn’t want to leave.

She wants to stay.

To crawl back into bed, to wake up tangled in his limbs, to feel the weight of his body over hers, his scent. She wants to hear his voice in the morning—sleep-rough and drowsy, whispering the same sinful things he murmured to her in the dead of night when she had been sleeping with her head on his bicep and he’d made love to her again, slow and deep, from behind her. He had first teased her with the tip, kissing her shoulders and neck. A minute later, they were slowly making love, his hand entwining her fingers over her breasts, his hot breath on the back of her neck.

“Can’t tell you how many times I’ve touched myself thinking of you—of this.”

He’d been so attentive and hot the entire night, guiding her as he told her to fuck him, to rock herself against him, to use him… so tuned in with her as he talked her through her orgasm, encouraging her to make a mess on his cock…

She feels... confused and disoriented. In her head, she’s spent years with this perfect idea of Noah, of who he is, of how wonderful it would be to be with him... and suddenly, a simple message destroys all of that.

It’s not a message.

It’s reality.

The rest was her fantasy. Her fault.

The things he had said to her during the night echo in her head. The perfect Noah and the perfect life she had created around him was nothing but an illusion, and now it had shattered, and with it her heart.

years of sleep — part 2 ☀︎⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Three hours later, late summer morning, the resort is buzzing with life. Most of the guests, primarily wedding attendees, have slept in, recovering from a celebration that lasted into the early hours. Others have been up since dawn, making the most of their vacation.

She sits at one of the poolside lounge tables, fingers idly tracing the rim of a half-empty glass of orange juice. Sunglasses shield her eyes, and though she’s showered and changed into a simple pastel blue sundress, she still feels the weight of the night lingering in her bones.

Nicholas and his new wife must already be enroute to their honeymoon destination. Meanwhile, she’s stranded at this oceanside resort, three hours from Los Angeles, until tomorrow.

And she has no idea how she’s going to spend the next twenty-four hours.

In her mind, last night should have led to something different—a different chain of events, a different morning, a different future. She had pictured waking up in Noah’s arms, spending the day tangled up in him, stealing kisses between lazy moments and sunlit swims, and ending the night with slow walks along the beach under the stars…

But now, it’s painfully clear that none of that is going to happen.

“And that long face on such a sunny morning?”

Davis’s voice cuts through her thoughts, drawing her attention to the walkway leading toward the parasol-covered tables.

She forces a smile, slouching slightly in her chair in an attempt to appear more relaxed. She doesn’t want to bring anyone else down. This is supposed to be a happy day. Everyone else is happy. She refuses to ruin that.

“Hungover?” Davis tilts his head, eyeing her.

The way he asks makes her laugh, though the sound feels hollow. He’s swapped last night’s suit for white Bermuda shorts and a floral short-sleeve button-up. He’s really embracing the beach resort vibes.

“Something like that,” she replies. Though the truth is that, despite sleeping late and being woken up at 4am for another round of sex, she slept soundly.

“That makes two of us,” another voice chimes in.

Folio drops into the chair beside her, a beer already in hand. She refrains from commenting on it. He’s dressed similarly to Davis, a backward cap covering his messy hair.

“Well, you don’t look like it,” Davis notes.

“That’s because I never hit the bed in the first place,” Folio grins.

“You didn’t sleep?” Davis guesses.

“Nope. Figured I’d just keep the party going. Took a swim at sunrise. Man, that’s an experience.”

The two launch into a conversation about his early-morning adventures and order some fruit and pancakes to be brought to the table. Eventually, they notice how quiet she is.

“What’s with you?” Davis asks through a mouthful of blueberries. “Haven’t slept either?”

Folio smirks. “Or did someone keep you up all night?” He wiggles his eyebrows, his gaze dropping pointedly to the red blotches on her skin. Noah’s lovebites.

She barely reacts. She simply lowers her sunglasses and shoots Folio a pointed look. His grin falters immediately.

“Oh, it’s definitely that. Who—?”

Before Folio can finish the question, Davis has already put the pieces together.

“You slept with Noah.”

Hearing someone say it aloud makes it even more real. Her mind floods with images—Noah’s touch, the sweet and filthy things he said to her, the way he held her, the way he felt. Honeyed and intense.

She wraps both hands around the glass, lips pressing together.

“Really?” Folio leans forward, elbows resting on the chair armrests. “And why do you look like that? Don’t tell me Noah isn’t well-equipped down there.”

She clicks her tongue, annoyed. “It’s not that.”

“So, he is. Is his performance not up to—”

“Nick,” Davis sighs.

“Okay, okay…” he puts his hands up. “Do we need to kick his ass?”

She hesitates, her fingers twitching, before finally voicing the question that has been gnawing at her insides since dawn.

“Noah has a daughter?”

Folio’s grin vanishes. His brows furrow in confusion, then lift in something close to horror.

“What?”

She looks between them. “Is he married? Divorced?”

Davis just stares at her, as if trying to understand where this is coming from.

“You know Noah is single.”

“No. Actually, I don’t. I don’t know anything about Noah. Not really,” she snaps. “I only know what everyone else knows—what you guys tell me. He’s always the quiet one. I don’t know more than what I’ve put together from—from the way he behaves around me and with you guys. And none of you ever mentioned a wife. Or a daughter. Or—”

“Because he’s not married. And he doesn’t have a daughter,” Folios interrupts with a laugh. “At least not that I know of. Can you even imagine Noah married and with a baby?” He looks over at Davis, but Davis just shoots him a warning glance.

Davis turns back to her with a soft expression. “Come on. You know exactly who Noah is. I know everyone acts like he’s this mysterious, unreadable guy just because he’s private, but the truth is, he’s exactly what you see. He’s quiet, yeah, but he doesn’t need to say much to show you who he is. He writes, he makes music, he lets go on stage… He’s the deep, poetic guy who likes to meditate in the morning and never really raises his voice. He’s thoughtful, maybe too much, and he appreciates life in that annoyingly profound way.” Davis huffs a small laugh. “Even if you haven’t spent much time with him, you know he’s single. The real question is how you two went so long without saying a word to each other when it’s obvious you’ve been pining for one another for years.”

Her heart stutters. “Years? What are you talking about?”

Folio rolls his eyes.

“What are you talking about? Everyone knows you and Noah have been into each other for ages, but because you’re both equally clueless or shy or whatever, you waited until Ruffilo’s wedding to finally do something about it. And now you’re coming in here all ‘Noah is a dad?!’ What the hell did you drink last night? Or more like, what did Noah do to you in bed?”

She groans. Before they can derail the conversation any further, she drops her eyes and mutters, “I saw a message on his phone.”

“A message?”

“From someone named Lily. Liliputh,” she specifies.

Folio and Davis exchange a glance, and she immediately realizes that yes, there are things about Noah she doesn’t know, and they do.

Folio cuts into his pancakes, spears a piece with his fork, and pops it into his mouth.

“Lily is Noah’s niece,” Davis explains. “His sister’s daughter. She’s twelve.”

She blinks.

Once.

Twice.

“Noah has a sister?”

Since when?

“Yeah. Older. She lives in New York. They only see each other a couple of times a year, that’s why he’s probably never mentioned her. He barely does to us, anyway. But they’re close, and I’m guessing Lily asked to come spend a few days in L.A. before school starts again, and Noah’s offered to take care of her.”

A wave of heat rushes to her cheeks. “Oh my God.”

Folio bursts out laughing, struggling to keep the food in his mouth. “You really thought Noah had a whole-ass daughter? And you thought he was divorced, too?”

She sinks in her seat. “It’s not funny.”

“No, but your reaction is. How many Hallmark movies have you watched?”

Davis, however, looks more thoughtful. “So… you freaked out.”

She sighs. “Yeah…”

“And Noah wasn’t awake when you saw the message, was he?”

“No.”

“So, you got up and left. Without saying a word.”

Her silence and the guilt written all over her face are answer enough.

After a beat, Folio deadpans, “You banged Noah,” he states. “And then you disappeared.”

She shoots him another glare, tempted to kick his shin under the table. “I didn’t disappear. I’m still here, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, but not in his bed,” Davis points out. “How would you feel if the roles were reversed? If you woke up after sleeping with him, and he was gone?

A knot tightens in her chest.

Terrible. Used. Heartbroken.

Guilt crashes over her, so heavy it makes her stomach churn. Good thing she hasn’t eaten anything… She bites her lip so hard she nearly draws blood. She needs to fix this.

“Will he… be mad?”

David considers the question at the same time he savors a piece of mango. “Knowing Noah and how much he’s into you… he’ll understand. You just need to talk to him. Tell him why you freaked out. He’ll have a good laugh and later he’ll probably get you back into his bed. Problem sorted.”

How much he’s into me? The way Davis talks about Noah’s feelings is unsettling, like he knows something she doesn’t. Has it always been there, in front of her, and she hasn’t been able to see it until last night?

For years, she has lived off stolen glances and fleeting moments—content with fantasies rather than the courage to actually approach Noah like a normal person would. She always chalked up his teasing and looks to his naturally charming nature. Noah has always been boyfriend material—but never her boyfriend.

Had she known earlier that Noah was pining for her, butterflies would have erupted in her stomach sooner. She might have finally gathered the nerve to walk up to him, to flirt back in a way that was more obvious to him about her feelings. But now, after abandoning him in that hotel room, she just feels awful. If she can’t fix this, she might as well walk straight into the ocean and let the waves take her.

“Hey,” Folio squeezed her shoulder, snapping her out of her spiraling thoughts. His voice is suddenly surprisingly gentle. “It’s okay. This is not some huge, unforgivable thing. Nothing a blowjob can’t fix. Knowing Noah…”

Davis makes a disgusted noise, pushing his plate away. “Jesus Christ, man. How well do you know Noah?”

Folio throws his hands up again. “It’s a figure of speech, for fuck’s sake. What I mean is, Noah’s not the type to hold a grudge. And if there’s someone who can sweeten him up, that’s you. Talk to him. And if talking doesn’t do the trick… well, give him the look, get down on your knees, and boom—problem solved.”

She debates whether to smack him, but the absurdity of it all makes her laugh instead. Did she really think Noah had a teenage daughter? That he was divorced? She laughs at herself and internally thanks Folio, who always has a way of dragging her out of her head, whether she wants him or not.

And much to her own frustration… she can’t stop thinking about what he said.

If talking doesn’t get Noah to forgive her, she’ll do it on her knees and blinking up at him with her big puppy eyes.

An hour later, after wandering alone by the sea for a while and going over the things she’ll say to Noah when she sees him again, she makes her way back to the hotel. Her sandals dangle from her fingers, her bare feet still damp from where the waves had lapped at her skin. She’s hungry, her body demanding a late breakfast or an early lunch.

But more than anything, it’s her heart which is demanding. Demanding Noah, to find him, talk to him and—

She sees him before he sees her.

He’s at the reception desk, leaning on the counter, dressed in black jeans—in this heat, seriously?— and a white t-shirt. His hair is pulled into the same bun as last night, and he’s wearing black sunglasses. He’s chatting with the receptionist, a woman who smiles at him as she listens intently to whatever he’s saying. Before jealousy can settle in, the receptionist nods and disappears into the back room.

That’s when Noah turns, reaching into his pocket for his phone, only to freeze the moment his eyes land on her.

She doesn’t know what to expect. A flicker of irritation? Confusion? Anger?

But not this.

Not the way his entire face lights up. Not the way his lips stretch into a slow, easy grin, like seeing her is the best thing that’s happened to him all day. All week.

“Hey,” he says.

Her stomach does that thing.

Hey?

She approaches cautiously, hyper-aware of his almond-shaped eyes sweeping over her behind those black sunglasses.

“Hi,” she greets.

Silence stretches between them. For her, it’s suffocating. But Noah? He seems completely at ease, looking at her like she’s the goddamn sun.

“Noah,” her voice betrays her a little. She fidgets with her fingers, taking a small step closer. “About this morning, I—”

The receptionist returns, holding a black tuxedo jacket.

“Here it is, sir.”

Noah turns to her.

“Oh, thank God.” He exhales, taking the jacket and shaking it out. “Thought I’d lost it for good. Or that someone walked off with it.”

“Not at all,” the female behind the counter replies with a polite smile. “Anything else I can help with?”

Her eyes flick between Noah and her before Noah tells her “no, thank you” and she heads back to her desk. Noah drapes the expensive jacket over his arm.

“Guess I shouldn’t be so careless next time,” he muses.

She frowns slightly.

“Got a little… distracted last night,” he continues, gesturing vaguely with his hand. “Saw this girl, and, well… just had to follow her. I suppose I got carried away inevitably.” His eyes darken slightly, teasing. “Prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. Can’t get her out of my head.”

She’s blushing, of course.

And that’s exactly what he wanted—to make her blush.

“Prettiest?”

“Prettiest,” he repeats. He takes his hand to his sunglasses and moves them up to his head. When his brown eyes fall on her, she feels that tingling sensation coursing through her again. “Sweetest. Couldn’t keep my hands off her,” he continues, knowing very well what he’s doing. “Guess everything else just… slipped my mind.”

Heat flares up her neck. Why isn’t he upset? Why isn’t he at least a little annoyed that she slipped out of his bed after hours of making love? Why does he have to be so charming to her when she deserves none of that?

“Do you… regret it?” she blurts.

His brows lift slightly. “Regret it?” he echoes. He glances down at the jacket draped over his arm. Then he smirks. “I’d lose ten of these if it meant spending another night like that with her.”

She bites her lip, grinning like an idiot. Like the idiot she is for assuming he was a divorced dad.Jesus Christ. She pinches the bridge of her nose, ducking her head to hide her flushed cheeks.

After a beat, he adds, “but preferably if she’s there in the morning.”

Oh.

“What about you?” he asks. “Anything you regret?”

She draws in a slow breath.

“One thing, yeah,” she admits.

“Yeah?”

By the way his face changes, she can tell he’s suddenly feeling uncertain. Does he think she regrets being with him? That she regrets letting him touch her, letting him fuck her?

“I… want to make up for it,” she says. “So that I don’t carry this regret with me any longer.”

He watches her carefully. “Sounds like one you’ve carried for quite some time.”

She scoffs. If only he knew…

“Long enough to make a fool of myself,” she says. “But I’d like to fix it.”

His lips twitch, fighting back a smile. “You would?”

She nods, pulse quickening. She gives him the sweetest, most disarming smile. “I think I could. If you let that pretty girl spend another night in your hotel bed…”

Noah exhales. With his free hand, he reaches for her, his fingers curling into the fabric of her dress, pulling her toward him. Close enough that when he lowers his head, his nose brushes against hers.

“I don’t think that’s going to be enough, sweetheart,” he murmurs. She presses a hand against his chest—not to push him away, but to steady herself, to feel the solid of him beneath her palm. And, if she’s being honest, just to touch him again. “She needs to stay till morning. Otherwise, no deal.”

She decides she’s going to seal the deal with a kiss. But just as she tilts her head and parts her lips—

“Hey, Sebastian! Say hi to your daughter!” Folio’s voice rings through the lobby.

They both freeze.

Noah blinks.

“What?”

She turns her head just in time to see Folio crossing the marble-floored lobby, a mojito in hand, looking far too pleased with himself before disappearing around the corner. Her face burns. Noah’s expression is one of utter confusion.

“Is he drunk?” he asks.

A small laugh escapes her as she drops her forehead against his chest. He still hasn’t let go of her dress. Her fingers grasp the fabric of his white t-shirt as her embarrassment melts into quiet amusement.

“I thought you were a divorced dad.”

Noah stills. Then he’s lifting her chin with the bend of his fingers. “A divorced—What are you talking about?”

“I accidentally saw a message on your phone this morning—Lily’s message,” she explains. “I was just checking the time, I swear. And when I saw the message, I immediately assumed... that you were divorced. And that you had a child.”

He stays still for another beat, just looking at her. Then, to her complete and utter relief, he throws his head back and laughs. The sound is so warm and rich that it dissolves the last of her tension.

“Thank God,” he says.

“Thank God?”

“That you left because of that and not because I snore.”

“You don’t snore,” she assures him.

He exhales through his grin, his thumb brushing her chin. “And you’re adorable.”

“Pretty sure I’m just stupid.”

“Stupidly adorable.”

“Thanks,” she rolls her eyes, only confirming what he just said.

Adorable.

Her stomach betrays her then, letting out a low rumble.

She groans. Seriously, can I catch a break?

Noah glances down at her middle with a grin, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“Perfect timing.”

“Huh?”

“Now that I’ve got my jacket back, and I found the pretty girl I was looking for…” he pauses and tilts his head, “I was wondering if you’d like to have lunch with me?”

Like he even needs to ask.

“I’d love to.”

“It’s a date, then.”

He offers his hand. She takes it, just like last night.

They share a light lunch at the seaside restaurant of the hotel, which is located beneath a shade of swaying palm trees and cottage-like roof. The ocean stretches before them, glistening under the midday sun, waves rolling lazily onto the shore. The air is charged with salt and the aroma of grilled seafood, mingling with the faint sweetness of tropical flowers.

Their table is a feast of colors—salad with citrusy vinaigrette, golden spring rolls, focaccia glistening with olive oil, and a selection of small plates. Conversation is effortless between them as the breeze rustles through the palm fronds and plays with her hair.

They talk about everything. Food. Music. Work. He asks about her studies, and she asks about the book he’s reading. He makes her smile. She makes him laugh. She even offers him a bite of her plate and feeds him with a fork. They never mention the fact that last night she had his cock in her mouth or that he mapped out every inch of her with his tongue until she was shaking under him.

After the plates are emptied and cleared, they stay, reclining in their chairs as the slow afternoon unfolds. The occasional lull in conversation is easy. It’s a silence that doesn’t demand to be filled.

They sip iced tea later, enjoying each other’s company as the engulf in the refreshing drink.

She watches the horizon, the endless stretch of blue where the sea meets the sky, and the way the light dances on the water. Noah watches her. Her profile is beautiful, so soft. A picture of tranquility as she takes in the view, lost in the beauty of the landscape. There’s something about the way she looks right now that makes everything else fade into the background.

Noah is in love, and he knows it. He’s been for a long time. He’s not letting her leave his bed the next morning, or any other for that matter.

“Want to go for a swim?”

His question shakes her out of her momentary haze where she was imagining herself in the water, wrapped around Noah’s torso, being kissed under the sun.

“What, in jeans and Adidas?” She jokes, giving his outfit a pointed once-over.

Noah glances down at himself. “Yeah, good point… I’ll go get changed.”

She hums, pushing back her chair at the same time. “I’ll grab the sunscreen.”

They leave together, strolling through the resort’s sun-drenched pathways, holding hands. In the hallway outside their rooms, Noah keeps their arms extended and hands together before reluctantly releasing her.

He should have kissed her. The though gnaws at him as she disappears three rooms down.

It’s fine. He’ll kiss her when he has her in his arms again in a matter of minutes.

They meet ten minutes after in the lobby. Noah has swapped his jeans for black swim trunks, his sneakers for flip-flops. His white T-shirt remains. a towel is slung over his shoulder. His eyes rack down the white bikini peeking through the airy fabric of her sundress. She catches the way his jaw ticks, how his Adam’s apple bobs when he swallows.

She shakes the sunscreen bottle in front of him. “Got it.”

Noah takes the tote bag from her with a quiet smile, ever the gentleman.

When they step onto the beach, they walk a little farther from the resort’s main area, the sand cool beneath their feet as they seek out a quiet spot all to themselves. The beach is tranquil, mostly deserted, with only a few scattered sunbathers, the low season keeping it peaceful. They lay out their towels side by side.

Of course, Noah suggests applying sunscreen on her. To her surprise, he’s again very gentlemanlike about it, asking for permission before he spreads the lotion across the curve of her ass. When she turns around and offers her chest to him, her nipples are visible through the fabric of her bikini top. He notices, obviously. But doesn’t say a word. When his fingers lightly access under the fabric and caress the curve of her breasts, she holds her breath. Then Noah pokes her nose, leaving a streak of cream on the tip and laughs, a boyish sound.

“Charming,” she says.

“I know,” he replies.

But even when he says that, it seems that his usual cocky grin is subdued. He seems more serious now, his gaze more intense and darker than it was the night before, like something in him has shifted. There’s a depth to his look, a quiet mindfulness that wasn’t exactly there before, the previous night when they were finally all brave and playful.

She tries to see what’s there, in his eyes, but before she can, he hands her the sunscreen bottle. “Your turn,” he says.

An hour under the sun and Noah’s freckles begin to appear more prominently across the bridge of his nose, like a constellation made of stars. He seems unaware of how they dot his face, of the beauty he carries with himself, as natural and unassuming as the rest of him.

Eventually, she pulls herself away from staring at him and buries her attention in a book, propped on her forearms, body stretched out on the towel. Noah takes a nap before shifting to lie on his side and starts kissing her shoulder. He inquiries about the book she’s reading. The Remains of the Day. Noah mentions he’s read something from Ishiguro before—Never Let Me Go, perhaps? He pretends to read the chapter she’s focused on, but his lips and fingers have other plans, distracting her with light touches, making her laugh and squirm when he starts tickling her.

The book eventually ends in Noah’s hands. He starts reading the novel, for real, and lets her explore the tattoos on his chest, stomach and arms, answering distractedly every question she has about them.

She rests for a while on the towel, gazing at the sky with her hands flat on her stomach. After a while, she gets up and walks toward the water.

The sun is beginning its slow descent, melting into the horizon, bleeding orange and pink across the sky. The beach is nearly empty except for the two of them and some tourists in the distance.

The waves lap gently at the shore as she steps into the cool, damp sand. The wind carries the scent of salt and something floral. The beauty of the moments feels surreal, and she wonders if she’s dreaming again.

Time slips away as she stands in the sand, waves crashing around her, her hair tousled by the wind. She’s unaware of the male gaze observing her from the towel. But an instant or two later, male arms are wrapped around her middle, and Noah’s cheek presses against hers.

She nuzzles into him, placing her hands over his and letting his movements guide her, swaying. She’s never felt so… at ease.

“It’s hard to believe in anything that’s not this moment, right now,” he murmurs into her hair.

She cradles his cheek and turns to face him. Their eyes meet, and there’s no pretense, no walls.

“Is this what I’ve been missing?” She asks, searching the depths of his brown eyes.

Yes, it is, but instead of answering her question, he says, “I should have said something earlier.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” she replies, a tender hand cupping his sun-kissed cheek face. “I should’ve understood earlier. The way you used to look at me… It was too dreamy to be real.”

He presses a kiss to the palm of her hand, his voice low. “I wish I could tell you…”

“Tell me what?”

“Everything. What this means to me. How I feel. How I’ve felt for years and how awful I feel for not having had the guts to—”

She places a finger on his lips.

“We’re here,” she presses her body against his for emphasis. “Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. What this means to you… it means the same to me, Noah. I dreamt of you. You were my every fantasy. For years.”

“Tell me your dreams,” he demands. “I’ll make them come true. Each and every single one.”

“You’re already doing that.”

Noah’s fingers brush against the damp skin of her back. The world around them hums with distant laughter and soft music, but here, in their little pocket of space, time feels suspended. His touch wanders. He shifts closer because he needs her.

Unintentionally, right before he’s about to kiss her, his fingers catch on one of the strings of her bikini top. A simple tug. The tension in the knot gives way too easily. He is barely aware of what he’s done before the fabric slackens.

A breath. A pause.

She stiffens, just slightly. Her shoulders tense, her body alert in the way someone instinctively braces for exposure. Noah realizes what he’s done in the same instant she glances around, eyes darting to the people farther up the shore. They’re too far to see, too lost in their own moments to notice. But still, she hesitates.

However, she doesn’t reach to fix it.

She doesn’t step away.

Instead, she turns her gaze back to him, eyes gleaming.

He understands.

His breath catches as he lifts his hands again, this time deliberate. His fingers find the second tie at the nape of her neck. The knot comes undone easily beneath his touch, the damp fabric slipping free. The bikini top flutters down, catching the breeze before landing softly at their feet in the sand.

Before she can move, Noah closes the space between them. His arms come around her, hands on her waist, pulling her against him, their bodies flush. His warmth envelops her, shielding her. Protecting her.

His thumb traces over the faint scar just beneath her breast. He lingers there, reverent, as if trying to read her past through it.

“That’s a story for another day,” she whispers.

His fingers flex against her skin. “I’ll take care of you.”

A soft exhale leaves her lips before she rises onto her toes, hands threading around his neck. Their mouths meet—slow at first, tasting the promise. Then deeper. Needier.

He doesn’t think before his arms tighten around her waist. He lifts her and he carries her forward, her legs around his hips, his feet greeted by water. Waves curl around them, rising to their waists as he holds her close.

She frees his hair from the bun.

“I’m not sure you love the bun or hate it,” Noah muses.

She grins against his wet lips. “I love how ridiculously hot it makes you look,” she admits, “but the urge to run my fingers through your hair is impossible to resist.”

He hums in satisfaction and kisses her with an open mouth, hungrier and greedier.

There’s only the press of their bodies, the rhythm of the tide, the quiet gasp of her breath against his mouth.

And the night, vast and endless, coming to swallow them whole.

Steam curls into the air as water cascades down their bodies. The salt is long gone from their skin, for they’ve been in the shower longer than they can track.

They move around each other in the small space, washing and rinsing, touching slowly, learning.

He washes her hair, fingers massaging her scalp, nails scratching lightly in a way that makes her eyes flutter shut. She does the same for him, but when she stands in front of him, on her tiptoes to reach, he nibbles at her wrist, making her giggle—so much that he has to catch her before she slips.

She’s happy, thinking about how her hair will smell like his now.

They stand under the stream of water for a while, hugging, saying nothing.

When she shivers, Noah shuts off the water and hands her a towel before grabbing one for himself.

Later, after they’ve brushed their hair and dried off, still wrapped in towels, she catches sight of him at the sink, securing a pink butterfly clip into his damp hair, pinning a few strands back from his forehead.

From where she’s perched on the bed, with a foot propped up to apply moisturizes, she bites her lip to keep from grinning.

“That’s adorable.”

Noah glances at her in the mirror, then snorts when he realizes what she’s talking about. “Lily gave it to me when she was eight. Said it made me look cooler.” His mouth quirks. “She lied, obviously.”

“No,” she says, setting her foot back down on the carpet and flipping her hair over one shoulder. “It’s very fashionable. You should wear it all the time.”

“Instead of the bun? I don’t believe you,” he teases back.

She sticks her tongue out and walks toward her suitcase, which she’d brought over from her room after they got back from the beach. He watches her, leaning against the sink with his arms crossed over his chest. Water still beads along her collarbones.

She grabs her underwear, then pauses, letting it dangle from her fingers. When she turns back, the fact that Noah was watching her makes her heart jump.

The way he stands there, with only a towel slung around his waist and damp hair messy except for that ridiculous pink clip doesn’t help the heat curling low in her stomach.

She considers the fabric between her fingers, then tilts her head.

“Do you want to get dirty again?”

His eyes darken, a slow, lazy smirk playing at his lips. “Do I want to get dirty again?” he repeats. “I think you know the answer to that, love.”

Her smile could stop wars.

She drops the underwear back into the suitcase and walks up to him, fingers grasping the hem of his towel, brushing against the skin just below his navel.

“The clip stays on,” she says.

Noah exhales a quiet laugh, raising an eyebrow as he lets her guide him toward the bed.

“On one condition,” he says, catching her wrist just before she can tug the towel away and reveal his growing erection.

She lifts a brow.

“The clip stays on,” he murmurs, voice dipping lower, “as long as you do.”

They hold each other’s gaze. The space between them disappears, years of hesitation dissolving into certainty.

Her smile widens, so big it makes her cheeks ache.

He just sealed a deal that will have him wearing that hair clip forever.

He knows.

She tugs the towel from his waist and rises onto her toes, pressing her lips to his.

And then, there is no space left between them and no more years of sleep.

💕 Happy Valentine's Day to all of you, my loves:

@rumoured-whispers | @iconic-taurus | @bloody-spades | @bluestdai | @theanarchymuse95

@somebodyels3 | @blade-dressed-in-red | @todressabladeupinred | @turn-your-life-into-folklore | @thecoyotescry

@iloveyoutodeathbutimdrowning | @tosoundlessdarkistare | @missduffsblog | @flowery-mess | @chey-h

@tf-is-aesthetic | @alwaysfightforwhoyouare | @fadingangelwisp | @respectfulrebel | @amelia-acero

@theasowle | @xxkatsatwatwafflexx | @lunabuna991 | @ferduttini | @lacy1986

@bad-idea2021 | @death-ofpeace-ofmind | @n0ahsebastian

I'm sorry if I forgot someone!

#noah sebastian one shot #noah sebastian #noah sebastian x reader #bad omens one shot #bad omens fanfiction #bad omens fanfic #noah sebastian fanfic #noah sebastian fanfiction

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bookworrm1999 · 2 days ago

Text

How Far Away? Part 6

Caleb x Mc

Tags: unplanned pregnancy, presumed death, depression, miscommunication, miscarriage scare

Summary: Mc and Caleb fight right before he goes on a long mission into space. Caleb ends up MIA while Mc finds out she's pregnant. She struggles to deal with the grief while Caleb is fighting for his life to make it back home to her.

AO3

Your anatomy scan was in two weeks and the little baby bean was doing well at 18 weeks.

This sugar drink from Hell was just nasty though, oh the things you do for love. You laid a hand over your bump, now a sizable little thing.

It was so cute, even though the bean inside it had caused you so much sickness.

You sipped more of the nasty glucose drink, grimacing the whole time. Finishing this horrible thing in 15 minutes seemed like such a chore.

Screw it, you threw it back like a shot and chugged it.

Ugh, you nearly puked from the taste and the texture but managed to hold it down as you wiped your mouth.

Tossing that bottle into the trash felt like victory.

You couldn’t even drink some water after all that.

What were you going to do for 30 minutes?

Well, you had lots of practice in just staring into space these days.

A memory swallowed you, bringing you back to happier days.

“Caleb?”

“Yes sweet girl?”

“Do you think we could play a game?”

“Sure what do you want to play?”

You scrunch your nose before clapping with glee.

“Oh! Can we play truth or dare?”

Caleb laughs before settling down on the couch next to you, pulling on the end of your nose.

“What, you didn’t play that enough in high school pipsqueak?”

“No! I mean I did but you never let us play it together when we were young. You always found some way to deflect.” You pouted a bit but fascination overcame you as you watched the tips of his ears turn pink.

“Well,” he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “I couldn’t exactly play it and risk my feelings for you coming out. My friends weren’t exactly kind enough to not dare me to kiss you or some shit like that.”

“Ha! So the truth comes to light!”

He digs his fingers into your waist, making you squeak because it was ticklish.

“And what about it?”

“Can we play now though?”

“Sure squeaks.”

You tap your chin before holding your finger up as if an important thought came to mind.

“I dare you to kiss me!”

“Really? That’s what you use your dare on? I would’ve done that without a dare.” He scoffs and kisses you, holding your chin as he bites your bottom lip a bit before pulling away.

“I’m going to ease you into it!”

“Well I’m not! I dare you to go to the other room and take a naughty photo then send it to my phone, I need a new wallpaper.”

“What?!” You squeak.

He uses his evol to push you up off the couch

“Hop to it squeaks!”

“You’re going to regret that!” You say this as you stomp to the bedroom, you’re going to make his dick so hard that he’ll beg you for release.

30 minutes passed as you escaped to your memories. Tears leaking out a bit as the image of Caleb was seared into your mind.

“Hey.”

This jolts you out of your daydream, you sit up jerkily as your legs had fallen asleep. Rubbing your eyes and face to get rid of the evidence, you look towards the speaker.

It’s Zayne, he looks at you with concern.

“Is something wrong? Why are you waiting here?”

“Oh,” you laugh a bit, “I’m fine, just waiting on my glucose test.”

“Oh, have you gotten your blood drawn yet?”

“No, I need to go do that now. Thank you for checking on me.”

Getting up to leave, he stops you before glancing away, not wanting to meet your eyes as he asks

“Can I take you to dinner?”

This instantly brings back the memory of him asking you to marry him almost two weeks ago. You didn’t think it was a good idea, way too soon to think about marriage and not fair to Zayne at all.

“Zayne, maybe that’s not a-“

“I just want to take you to dinner. If it happens to show you that I could be a good choice, that’s great. But I really just want to make sure you’re okay. You’re my friend after all.”

Oh, well that deflates your argument. He’s right, he’s your friend first and you had shut everyone else out.

Maybe going out for once could be good. Get some actual food for the baby instead of a protein bar and a banana.

“Ok, I’ll go to dinner with you. I just have to go get my blood drawn and we can go.” You glance down at your outfit, right. “I’m not really dressed for anything fancy.”

“Don’t worry about that.” He waves his hand “Go finish the test.”

Right, you walk to the lab and finish the test without issue.

Walking back, he’s already clocked out and waiting for you.

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere we can get you a nutritious meal, I have my doubts on how well you are eating at home.”

“Hey! I have a basket right by my bed full of things that I made sure are acceptable foods for the baby.”

“By the bed…”

Oh, you had just given away a small piece of what life had been like for you lately. Too late to take it back now.

Getting into his car and sitting in silence was so awkward. But finding something to talk about to fill the silence was like trying to scale a mountain in the snow.

You didn’t have the energy to waste on small talk these days.

He pulled up in front of a small restaurant surrounded by ivy, kept warm by glass barriers from the winter weather.

He held your door open for you and offered a hand.

You took it, thankful, getting out by yourself even at this early stage of pregnancy was awkward. Getting out of your deep and comfy chair at home was like competing in a triathlon. Zayne didn’t need to know that though.

You and he were seated relatively quickly with menus at a small table in the corner. Which gave you an immediate distraction from his intense gaze.

“Have you seen a therapist?”

“Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?” You glance at his serious face over the menu.

“I should think that the reason would be obvious.” Now holding his hands out with all his fingertips spread out and touching, he leans against them, only his eyes visible.

“No I haven’t.”

“I think you should, it would be beneficial for you and for your baby.”

“I know, my OB gave me some information on therapists and social workers that I could reach out to if I choose to.”

“But you haven’t.” He states this as if it affects him and not you.

“No, now stopping bugging me about it.”

He sighs before laying a hand on yours, the warmth of another’s touch leaving you a bit breathless after not touching anyone in almost a month.

“I’m worried for you, I care about you. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“Zayne, I… I really can’t think about you in that way right now.”

“That’s not my intention right now. My objective is purely to make sure you are alright, as a friend. If I could help you by marrying you, if that’s what you needed, I would. But it’s not my focus.”

Now you felt really bad, you kept boiling him down to thinking he only wants you as his wife.

He was your friend first and foremost.

“I’m sorry Zayne. I-I will try to reach out to somebody soon ok?”

“Thank you.” He releases your hand and looks at his own menu.

You order a light meal, just some protein and a side. But it was your first real meal in weeks.

Having it next to such a good friend who cared made your heart feel a little warm.

Your baby now able to kick you a bit, leaves you feeling not quite so alone.

You end your dinner with Zayne on a higher note than you would’ve expected it to be. Holding a small box of what you couldn’t finish, you smile at him. It was small but a real genuine smile was on your face.

It lightening your countenance and a bit of that pregnancy glow finally came through.

Snowflakes started falling lightly from the sky.

Landing in your hair and eyelashes, making you look like you truly belonged in the snow.

Zayne looked at you eyes a bit wide before he raised your hand, held it to his lips, brushing against your skin as he whispered

“Goodnight.”

You pulled your hand away, it wasn’t time for that.

“Goodnight Zayne.” You drew your line in the sand.

Turning around, you headed towards that transit center, hoping you could get home before the snow got bad.

Coming home to Caleb’s empty house made you feel guilty. You hadn’t even done anything, you’d set the boundary but you still felt a bit dirty.

Zayne was wonderful but he wasn’t for you. He deserved a girl who loved him with all her heart. Who wouldn’t forever look to the stars for a love that wasn’t ever coming home.

Whose belly wasn’t swollen with the evidence of another man’s love.

But the guilt rose in your throat, choking you. You felt gasping for breath, you sat heavily on the floor next to the bed. You gulped your water bottle but the room still spun.

Caleb, Caleb grounded you.

You fumbled as you pulled your phone out, turning on the camera. Talking to him like this, it made you feel like he was still listening and here with you somehow.

So you gasped and sobbed into the camera.

“Caleb! I can’t breathe! You aren’t here with me and I feel like I’m drowning!”

Getting this out, you managed to suck a few Dee breaths in. Calming down as you imagined him on the other side.

“I went to dinner with Zayne tonight. You know he asked me to marry him? He said he wanted to help somehow….”

You laugh as the absurdity of it hits you.

“Who’d want to marry me? You didn’t, I wasn’t even your girlfriend.”

You glare at your clenched hand.

“Why do I feel so guilty? I love you so much but you’re gone so why is it eating me up?”

You look at your lap but something strange captures your eye. Your dress had ridden up and you thought you saw a flash of red.

“What in the world?”

You set the phone down, forgetting to stop recording.

“Is that blood?”

Lifting your dress, you found your suspicions to be correct, blood in between your thighs. Panic sets in as the world collapses around you.

Tags:@gojosballsack69 @apple-lov3r @dinochocochip @moonberry69 @supermyeon22 @tinnyrabbit @gavin3469 @marina27826 @crowleysthings @tabi-callico @midiplier

@his-ocean-emissary @rosalyne08 @xaviers-pookie-bear @tsunamethyst @thejujvtsupost @cherrybeomgyu

#love and deepspace #love and deepspace caleb #lads caleb #caleb x mc #caleb x reader

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saebyeokbliss · 2 days ago

Note

you should write about like, saebyeok being all stiff and awkward when she meets the in laws 😭😭 poor baby would be breaking out in a cold sweat on the drive to their house lolol, and then reader tries to comfort her saying things like "dont worry baby their gonna love you"

LIKE REAL PEOPLE DO

pairing: loser!kang sae-byeok x fem!wealthy!reader synopsis: after reluctantly agreeing to have dinner with your prestigious, business-owning parents on valentine’s day, sae-byeok finds herself spiraling into a pit of nerves. despite your reassurances that everything will be fine, she spends the entire car ride coming up with increasingly ridiculous excuses to turn back. but when she finally meets your parents—expecting judgment, skepticism, and disapproval—she’s instead met with something unfamiliar: acceptance. maybe, just maybe, she doesn’t have to fight this battle alone. warnings: mild anxiety, social class differences, sae-byeok being emotionally guarded, mentions of past struggles, nervous girlfriend behavior, fluff with a touch of angst, supportive but slightly intimidating parents, awkward dinner moments, eventual acceptance and soft feelings.

a/n: happy valentine's day!! hope your day went well! im so late but hope you enjoy this little fic loves <33

The soft hum of the heater filled the quiet apartment, the warmth of it wrapping around you like a blanket as you lounged on the couch, Sae-byeok's legs draped over your lap. It was a rare moment of peace—one where neither of you had anywhere to be, no obligations pulling you apart. The city outside was alive as ever, but in your little shared space, it was just the two of you.

Sae-byeok was half-focused on a random movie playing on the TV, her fingers absentmindedly tracing circles on your thigh. She wasn’t one for excessive displays of affection, but after months of being together, you had learned her love was in the little things: the way she always made sure your phone was charged, how she let you steal her hoodies without complaint, how she held your hand under the dinner table when she thought no one was looking.

You had met her in the most unexpected way. Your worlds couldn’t have been more different—your parents, prestigious business owners, had always imagined you settling down with someone from their carefully curated social circles. Someone with an impressive degree, a spotless reputation, and a future that aligned with their expectations.

Sae-byeok was none of that.

You had met her at a small café on a rainy evening, your usual order messed up beyond recognition. You had been about to complain when Sae-byeok, who had been standing behind you, raised a single eyebrow and muttered, “If you don’t want it, I’ll take it.”

Something about her intrigued you instantly—the sharpness in her eyes, the guarded way she carried herself. One sarcastic remark led to another, and somehow, you had ended up sitting across from her, talking for hours. One coffee meet-up turned to two, then three, until it became something neither of you could deny.

Dating her hadn’t been easy. Sae-byeok had walls built sky-high, trust not coming easily to her. But you had been patient, and slowly, she had let you in. And now, here you were, tangled together on the couch, her presence as familiar to you as breathing.

Then your phone rang.

You groaned, recognizing the contact immediately: Mom.

Sae-byeok glanced at you out of the corner of her eye. “You gonna answer that?”

You sighed but pressed accept anyway, putting the phone on speaker. “Hey, Mom.”

“Sweetheart! How are you?” Your mother’s voice was warm but laced with the usual undertone of expectation.

“I’m good. Just relaxing.”

“Good, good. Your father and I were just talking, and—well, Valentine’s Day is coming up.”

You felt Sae-byeok stiffen slightly beside you.

“Uh-huh?”

“We thought it would be nice to have you over for dinner! You and that lovely girlfriend of yours.”

Your stomach twisted slightly. Your parents knew about Sae-byeok, of course. You hadn’t hidden your relationship, but they had never met her in person. You had no idea how they would react to her—not just as your girlfriend, but as someone who came from a world so vastly different from theirs.

Sae-byeok was staring at the TV now, pretending not to listen—but you could see the way her fingers had stopped moving on your thigh.

“I—uh, yeah. That sounds nice,” you said hesitantly.

“Wonderful! We’ll expect you both at seven. Oh, and tell Sae-byeok not to be shy! We’re excited to finally meet her.”

You forced a small laugh. “I’ll let her know.”

After a few more pleasantries, your mother hung up. The room was silent for a beat.

Then you turned to Sae-byeok, who was still staring at the TV with the look of someone who had just been handed a death sentence.

“You okay?” you asked softly.

She blinked. “You just agreed to throw me to the wolves.”

You laughed, nudging her. “They’re not wolves.”

“They’re rich, important people who probably think I’m some kind of street rat.”

You frowned. “Hey, don’t say that. They’re going to love you.”

Sae-byeok scoffed but didn’t pull away when you reached for her hand. “You don’t know that.”

“I do,” you insisted. “Because I love you.”

Her eyes flickered with something unreadable, and for a moment, she looked like she wanted to argue. But then she sighed, squeezing your hand once before looking away.

“This is going to be a disaster,” she muttered.

You grinned. “We’ll see.”

The car ride to your parents’ house was… tense.

Sae-byeok sat in the driver’s seat, her hands gripping the wheel so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. She wasn’t saying much, but you could practically feel the nervous energy radiating off her.

She was trying to play it cool, of course—shoulders squared, expression blank, acting like this was no big deal. But you knew her too well. The way she kept adjusting the rearview mirror despite already having it perfectly positioned, the way she cleared her throat every few minutes, the way her foot hovered just a little too long over the brake pedal at every red light—yeah, she was freaking out.

You bit back a smile as she let out a slow exhale, eyes locked on the road ahead.

“You okay over there?” you asked, voice light.

“Fine,” she replied immediately. Too fast.

You hummed, amused. “You sure?”

“Yeah.” Again, too quick.

A pause. Then:

“…Maybe we should turn around.”

You snorted. “Sae—”

“I just remembered something,” she continued, completely deadpan. “I left the stove on.”

You raised an eyebrow. “We didn’t use the stove today.”

“Maybe I did. You don’t know.”

You laughed, reaching over to squeeze her thigh. “Nice try.”

She sighed dramatically, drumming her fingers on the wheel as she approached another red light. “Okay. What if… I got really, really sick right now?”

You rolled your eyes. “You’re not sick.”

“I could be.”

“You’re fine.”

She exhaled sharply through her nose. “Okay, well. What if the car just—broke down? Right here. Right now.”

You glanced at the dashboard. “Battery’s fine. No lights are on.”

She clicked her tongue. “Damn.”

“Sae.”

“What?”

You smiled at her. “You’re nervous.”

“I’m not nervous,” she shot back, but the way she was gripping the wheel told another story.

You reached over and gently pried one of her hands off the wheel, lacing your fingers together. “It’s okay if you are,” you murmured.

She didn’t respond right away, just stared at the road ahead. Then, finally, she muttered, “I don’t do well with… people like them.”

You squeezed her hand. “People like them?”

She sighed. “Rich. Powerful. Judgmental.”

You frowned. “They’re not that bad.”

“They’re your parents. Of course you think that.”

You hesitated. Okay, fine—your parents weren’t exactly the warmest, most down-to-earth people. They had expectations, high ones, and they had never exactly approved of the way you chose to live outside of their carefully curated world.

But they weren’t cruel. And they were trying.

“I know they can be… a lot,” you admitted. “But they want to meet you. That has to count for something, right?”

Sae-byeok didn’t look convinced.

“Hey.” You tugged on her hand, forcing her to glance at you. “They’re gonna love you.”

She scoffed. “Doubt it.”

You rolled your eyes. “How could they not? You’re smart, you’re funny—”

“Debatable.”

“—and you make me happy.”

That made her pause.

You softened. “That’s all that matters to them, Sae. That I’m happy. And I am.”

She let out a breath, glancing at you from the corner of her eye. “…You’re really annoying, you know that?”

You grinned. “And yet, you’re still in love with me.”

She groaned, but you caught the way the corner of her mouth twitched upward.

The car slowed as she pulled into your parents’ long, pristine driveway. The house loomed ahead—grand, elegant, intimidating as hell.

Sae-byeok stared at it like it was her worst nightmare.

“…Last chance to turn around,” she muttered.

You laughed, squeezing her hand one last time before letting go. “Come on, tough girl. Time to meet the in-laws.”

Sae-byeok exhaled sharply, muttered something under her breath in Korean, and put the car in park.

Then, with the stiffest posture you had ever seen, she stepped out of the car—looking as though she was walking straight into a battlefield.

Sae-byeok looked like she was walking into an execution.

Her shoulders were stiff, her hands shoved deep into the pockets of the blazer you had begged her to wear, and her usual tough, indifferent exterior was barely holding up against the sheer intimidation of your parents’ house. The place was massive—high ceilings, grand windows, and a front door so polished that she could see her own stressed-out reflection in it.

You reached for her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze before ringing the doorbell.

“You’ve got this,” you whispered.

She exhaled sharply. “I really don’t.”

Before you could reassure her again, the door swung open, revealing your mother—graceful, elegant, and dressed in a designer outfit that probably cost more than Sae-byeok’s entire wardrobe combined.

“Sweetheart!” she greeted, pulling you into a hug. Then she turned to Sae-byeok, her smile still in place but a little more measured. “And you must be Sae-byeok.”

Sae-byeok, to her credit, managed to nod. “Uh, yeah. Hi.”

You could tell she was trying her best to stand tall, to act like she wasn’t completely overwhelmed, but her hand was clammy in yours.

Your mother stepped aside, motioning you both inside. “Come in, come in! Dinner’s almost ready.”

As you walked in, Sae-byeok subtly glanced around, taking in the lavish decor—the expensive artwork, the grand staircase, the ridiculously fancy chandelier hanging above the dining room. She looked like she was fighting the urge to whistle.

Your father was already at the dining table, standing as you both approached. He was just as intimidating—tall, serious, with the sharp gaze of a man used to being in control.

Sae-byeok was visibly trying not to shrink under it.

“So,” your father said, his voice firm. “This is the girl who’s stolen my daughter’s heart.”

Sae-byeok blinked. “Uh… yeah. That would be me.”

You nearly laughed at how robotic she sounded.

Your father hummed, giving her a once-over. “Sit, both of you.”

Sae-byeok hesitated for a fraction of a second before pulling out a chair stiffly, sitting with perfect posture like she was in a damn job interview. She looked like she was about to break into a cold sweat.

Your mother poured some wine, offering Sae-byeok a glass.

“Thank you,” Sae-byeok said, accepting it carefully, as if she was afraid one wrong move would shatter the expensive crystal.

“So, Sae-byeok,” your mother started as she took her seat. “Tell us about yourself.”

Sae-byeok cleared her throat. “Uh, well. I—” She hesitated, glancing at you quickly before continuing. “I was born in North Korea, but I left when I was young. It’s just me and my little brother now.”

Your parents exchanged a glance, their expressions unreadable.

Your heart squeezed. You knew this wasn’t easy for her—she wasn’t used to talking about herself, especially not to people who made their judgments based on polished resumes and perfect backgrounds.

But before the silence could stretch too long, your father spoke.

“That must’ve been difficult,” he said, his tone surprisingly even. “I imagine you’ve been through a lot.”

Sae-byeok hesitated, as if she was waiting for some kind of condescending remark to follow. But when none came, she nodded slowly. “Yeah. I have.”

Your mother smiled, softer this time. “And what do you do now?”

Sae-byeok glanced at you again, visibly unsure of how much to say.

“She’s been working hard,” you cut in, sensing her discomfort. “She’s saving up to start her own business.”

That wasn’t exactly a lie—Sae-byeok had been talking about opening something small, maybe a clothing shop or a café. It was still just an idea, but it was hers.

Your father raised an eyebrow. “A business? Interesting. What kind?”

Sae-byeok hesitated again, then squared her shoulders. “Fashion, maybe. Or something in retail.”

Your mother’s eyes lit up. “Fashion? Well, that’s an exciting industry.”

Sae-byeok nodded stiffly, still unsure if this was going well or horribly.

The conversation continued through dinner, and little by little, you could see Sae-byeok starting to relax—just slightly. She was still guarded, still careful with her words, but she wasn’t as tense as she had been when you first walked in.

Then, at one point, your father leaned back in his chair and looked at her seriously.

“You know,” he said, “when we heard our daughter was dating someone, we weren’t sure what to expect.”

Sae-byeok tensed again.

“But,” he continued, “I can see why she chose you.”

Sae-byeok blinked. “You… can?”

Your father nodded. “You’re strong. Independent. You’ve been through things most people can’t even imagine, and yet, you’re still standing. That says a lot about your character.”

Sae-byeok stared at him like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Your mother smiled. “And most importantly, she’s happy with you.”

You turned to Sae-byeok, squeezing her hand under the table. She still looked stunned, like she had been bracing for rejection the entire night—only to be met with something she hadn’t expected.

Acceptance.

As you left that night, walking toward the car, Sae-byeok was quiet. But this time, it wasn’t the stiff, nervous silence from before.

You nudged her playfully. “See? Told you they’d love you.”

She scoffed, but there was no real annoyance behind it. “I still don’t trust rich people.”

You laughed. “Fair. But… they trust you.”

She glanced at you, something unreadable in her expression. Then, finally, she sighed, unlocking the car.

“I guess that’s a start.”

And as you drove home, her hand resting comfortably in yours, you knew that was more than enough.

#sae byeok #fanfic #saebyeok x reader #squid game #wlw fiction #kang sae byeok x reader #wuh luh wuh #fluff #established relationship

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alcoholfreenayeon · 2 days ago

Note

perfect date night with mina

Kiss my troubles away

CW: Mina x Reader, fluff, slightly suggestive

A/N: Happy Valentine’s Day to yall! This might not be the perfect date night but I feel this is something Mina might do and I haven’t posted in a while so this is something I did a bit quickly and it’s not going to be one of my best works🙂‍↕️

You and Mina look outside the window as it thunders and rain’s relentlessly.

“Well….”, you comment blankly, already accepting that the night is not going to go as you both had planned.

“Maybe in a few minutes?”, Mina says hopefully. Thunder roars and several bolts of lightning flash. “Or maybe not….”, She sighs softly.

You groan and fall back on the bed. “It’s just so unfair. The entire week was sunny and like the hottest days in months. Months. And now the one day we had planned something it’s raining like it’s the end of the world!”

Mina gives you a sympathetic look, she knows how long you had been looking forward to just spending a good night out without any worries for work and now the weather ruined all the potential plans you both had made in the last few days.

You groan and stretch before collapsing back on the mattress dejectedly, a small pout on your face.

Mina stares at you, a small smile forming as she sees you throw a mini tantrum. She found it so adorable to see you pout. She sits next to you before firmly pinning your arms down by your wrists as she straddles your waist. “Mmm…you are so cute right now”, she murmurs quietly as she stares into your eyes.

Almost immediately you feel yourself blush, your cheeks going red, you gently struggle against her grip on your wrists but she just holds them down even more firmly. You even avert your eyes, looking to the side as try to remain calm.

She laughs quietly and blinks slowly as she keeps gazing at you adoringly. “Just because our plans got interrupted doesn’t mean they have to be canceled, we can just change them. I still want to have a date night with you darling.”, she whispers enticingly as she leans in closer, you can feel her breath on your face now.

“Yeah but….”, you trail off as you feel her hot breath on your face making you squirm which in turn makes her smile mischievously.

Mina leans in, her lips barely a hair’s breadth away from yours, you close your eyes and hold your breath in anticipation. A few moments pass and nothing happens making you slowly open your eyes to see Mina’s mischievous expression as she bites her lip.

“Oh you thought I was going to kiss you? Do you want me to?”, she asks softly as she squeezes your wrists tightly.

You feel lost for words, helpless to do anything except look at her right now.

She breathes hotly on you again, pouting just a little, “I’m not going to kiss you until you ask…beg me to. I want you to desperately want me like how I want you right now.

You squirm again, her words having an effect on you. You can’t help but bite your lip now. “Please…Mina…kiss me.”, you manage to ask quietly.

She smiles excitedly, leaning in and finally kissing you until you both are out of breath. She then pulls away, panting as she looks at you before diving in again. Making out with your several minutes until you are feeling dizzy from being so out of breath. Each kiss making you forget all about your sourness earlier and instead drive you crazier for her touch.

She then gently bites your collarbone before moving up to your neck, whispering how much she loves you and how much she needs you the entire time.

Within a few minutes she began to get more intimate unable to help herself when it came to you, your sharp breaths and gasps only encouraging her. The night passed slowly and passionately leaving both of you entirely exhausted. Both of you feeling hungry, sleepy and tired but too lazy to get up and too comfortable to let go of each other.

#ask me anything #answered asks #anon ask #twice #kpop gg #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines #reader x idol #twice x reader #mina x reader #mina fluff #myoui mina #mina twice #mina smut #twice mina #twice scenarios #twice fluff #twice smut

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untitledrockstar-if · 18 hours ago

Text

Q: WHAT ARE THE CONTENT WARNINGS?

substance abuse, allusions to abuse, sexual content, mental health struggles and infidelity. this game is intended for mature audiences and depicts dark themes that are sadly normal in the entertainment industry.

Q: WHAT IS MC’S ROLE/JOB?

they’re currently the partner of a rockstar and are considered an It boy/girl. you can choose a career later on and pursue dreams outside of the band.

Q: WHAT ARE THE CAREERS WE CAN CHOOSE FROM?

actor/actress, artist, musician and model for now.

Q: HOW OLD IS EVERY CHARACTER?

mc: 27, ronan/roxanne: 29 about to turn 30 in game, charles/colette: 40/41, scarlett/samuel: 28, milan/margo: 23 and ????: 28

Q: WHO CAN YOU ROMANCE?

ronan/roxanne, samuel/scarlett, charles/colette, milan/margo and ????

Q: WHO IS ????

that will be revealed in game and I won’t spoil it now.

Q: ARE DRUGS REQUIRED TO BE TAKEN?

at the beginning, yes. mc has fully immersed themself in the lifestyle of the band and does drugs and drinks.

Q: WHY IS MC SO MEAN TO RANDOM CHARACTERS/THE REST OF THE CAST?

because they’ve been living this lifestyle for 3 years and the industry oftentimes changes people for the worse.

Q: WILL THE INFIDELITY TAKE PLACE BETWEEN R AND MC?

Q: IS THE CHEATING GOING TO HAPPEN REGARDLESS OF OUR CHOICES?

yes.

Q: DOES R REALLY LOVE MC?

yes, it’s an important plot point later on.

Q: CAN WE CHEAT ON R IN RETURN?

yes, you can.

they do! people still do stupid shit to people they love however.

Q: CAN WE BREAK UP WITH R?

yes, but not at the start.

Q: DO WE HAVE TO BREAK UP WITH R?

no, you don't have to.

Q: CAN WE GET BACK TOGETHER WITH R?

yes, but that will take some time.

Q: WILL R CHANGE IF/WHEN MC LEAVES THEM?

they might try to get better.

Q: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN (X)?

I won’t spoil anything. let’s just wait and see.

Q: HOW WILL R REACT WHEN (X)?

that will be discussed in game.

Q: CAN YOU TELL US WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN THEY BREAK UP?

no, as we are at the beginning and I want to leave at least some things as a surprise.

Q: CAN WE LEAVE R AFTER CHAPTER ONE?

no. mc and R are going to be together happily until the end of the first third of the game.

Q: ARE SEX SCENES MANDATORY?

yes. R and mc communicate through sex a lot and this game relies on romance and sex will be part of it.

Q: CAN MC BE ON TOP TOO/MORE DOMINANT?

yes, but seeing as there’ll be 4 different variations of every sex scene based on the gender of your RO and the mc themself, I won’t offer too much input in terms of choices who will be on top when. the scenes play out the way I feel are best and you can’t be a strict top/bottom this time around.

Q: CAN YOU ADD (X) TO THE STORY?

no. I plotted this game already and want it to play out the way I envision.

Q: WHY DIDN’T YOU WRITE R AND MC LIKE (X)?

because I didn’t.

Q: WHAT INSPIRED THIS IF?

general gossip I’ve read, shows and movies depicting the reality of what being a star entails. certain books like tshoeh and djats.

Q: HOW LONG WILL IT BE WORD COUNT AND CHAPTER WISE?

around 9/10 chapters are planned but I’m not sure about a wc yet.

Q: DID R LOVE THEIR EX?

yes, in their own way.

Q: WILL BE EXPLORE HOW MC AND R MET?

yes, mc’s and R’s past will be depicated and discussed at length.

#m.txt #the faq page I created on desktop won't show up so until then a mobile version #**faq #long post

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butlervibesonly · 1 day ago

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𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 |PART ONE| Wil Ohmsford

• Summary: While chasing freedom you get hurt and precious elf boy finds you. It turns out to be Wil Ohmsford and he is more than pleased to care about you.

• Pairing: Wil Ohmsford x human! reader

• Warnings: mentions of getting hurt, fluff, typos?

• I AM UNCONDITIONALLY OBSESSED WITH WIL OHMSFORD HAHAHAHAH 😽also this is just his song ngl

The sun shines high above, its warmth barely reaching you through the leaves of trees. Your legs ache with each step, exhaustion making its appearance more than visible. You don’t even know how many days you’ve been walking. Only thing you know is that you left to chase freedom, to escape the walls that felt more like a cage… But this kind of freedom is not what you expected. It’s hunger killing your stomach, sleepless nights on the hard earth, and the repeated ache in your bones.

You hear waterfall nearby, and as much as you’re trying to search for it you loose control over your legs. Your foot catches on a root, or maybe a sharp rock, and suddenly the world flips. The sky flashes above you before pain explodes through your leg as you crash to the ground helplessly. For a moment, you can’t even breathe. The sharp, sending agony drowns out every other thought. As much as you struggle to move, the pain gets worse. You ran away to be free. But now, you can’t run at all. “Damnit!” you hiss in pain, as you sit hopelessly on the ground. If you really didn't want something to happen, it's this.

“Are you okay?” you hear from the road. Looking up you see blonde and… indeed very cute boy. He is sitting on his horse but could be around 6 feet tall, his hair is blonde with dark shadows. Eyes blue, bluish than you ever seen. And his smile is more than charming. “I, uh… No…” is all that you can choke out after staring at him.

“I see.” he smiles softly as he jumps from his horse. “What happened to you?” the stranger says and approaches you. You hesitate to speak as you look at him. There is something so indescribable about him… “I… I was walking down this hill and tripped. Now I can barely move…”

“Ouch… Can I?” he crouches down beside you, gesturing at your leg. You nod shyly and let him do whatever he wants to do. He leans closer to your leg, and that’s when you notice it. His pointy ears. “You’re… an elf?” you ask. The elf boy chuckles and carefully lifts up the fabric of your leggings.

“Half elf,” he replies and carefully touches your leg. You respond with a hiss as the pain travels through your whole body. “Hm, it looks like it’s broken…” the elf replies, looking at you. Only thing you can do its that you look at him back. Stare maybe. “Oh, my name is Wil. Wil Ohmsford.” he gently hands out his hand. You take his hand and nod. “I am Y/n.”

Wil smiles and lets go of your hand. “Y/n, I live not so far away. And… you look like you need some place to stay-“ he glances at your broken leg. “and place to heal at.” You nod. What else can you do? You haven’t slept in days, eaten in days and not even spoken with anyone. “That would be nice…”

Wil nods and wants to scoop you up from the ground, but he asks for permission first. “May I?” he asks, his voice low but soft. You smile and nod. He scoops you gently from the ground easily like you weigh nothing. There must be strong arms under that jacket of his. He helps you sit on his horse and he walks beside you.

You keep looking down at him as he holds the leash and lead his horse towards his place. You then see a sign Shady Vale. “So, Y/n, where do you come from ?” Wil interrupts your thoughts. Should you tell him that you ran away? That you chased for freedom but ended up with broken leg?

“Uh… Thinking of how far I’ve come already - far away.” Wil glances at you with that playful smile again. “Far away? I don’t know a place like that.” he teases. You just chuckle and shake your head. “I tried to… escape. Wanted to have some freedom, you know…” you say honestly. Wil nods in understanding and stops the horse.

You look up and see a hut, a garden around it and trees surrounding it. “That’s my house,” Wil says. “More likely my kingdom.” Wil gently carries you in his arms. The world seems to fade as he carries you, his strong arms cradling your weary body. At some point, the scent of wood and earth shifts. Less wild, more controlled. The air is rich with herbs, dried flowers, and something faintly sweet. Just like Wil.

Familiar warmth surrounds you and you feel softness underneath you. A bed. Not the cold, hard ground you’ve grown used to, but something so comforting, something safe. As hard as you try not to fall asleep right away, you fail.

When you begin to stir, the light is dimmer, golden rays of the sunset slipping through wooden beams above. A blanket is pulled over you, and the steady crackle of a fire fills the space. And you smell herbs coming from the night stand.

“You’re awake.” The voice is calm, smooth — Will. He kneels beside the bed, setting something down on the small wooden table where steaming tea lays. “You were asleep for a while. Looks like you needed it.” he smiles warmly. You inhale sharply, fingers gripping the blanket as your broken leg reminds you its being. He notices.

“Here, drink this.” Wil lifts a small cup, steam curling from its surface. “It will help ease the pain.” You hesitate at first but take it. The scent of herbs and honey makes your heart flutter. When you take a sip, warmth spreads through your chest. The bitterness of the medicine lingers, but the honey dulls it.

Wil waits, watching as you drink. Only when the cup is empty does he move closer, carefully peeling back the blanket to check the splint on your leg. His touch is light, almost practiced. “You seem to be good at this.” you say, watching him work.

“Thanks. I am healer so… that’s maybe the reason.” he smiles warmly at you, before turning back to check on your fracture. “You’ll heal,” he says, adjusting the bindings with gentle precision. “But it will take time.”

You barely manage a nod, your limbs already growing heavy again. The exhaustion is too much, pulling you down despite your best efforts to fight it. As your eyes flutter closed, you feel the blanket being tucked more securely around you again “Rest,” Will murmurs. “You are safe here.” The last thing you see before sleep takes you is the him, watching over you, his expression soft and warm.

When you open your eyes the time passed. It looks like it’s night now. The fire has burned low, its embers casting a soft, flickering glow across the wooden walls. The scent of herbs still lingers in the air, comforting and familiar now.

And then you notice Wil. He sits by the window, his silhouette outlined in silver by the moonlight streaming through window. He is awake. His posture is still, almost too still, as if he got lost in thoughts. His gaze is distant, fixed somewhere beyond the trees outside.

For a moment, you simply watch him. You can’t tear your gaze from him, he looks so magical and precious. Almost as like he belongs to this place in a way you never have anywhere. You shifting in bed catches his attention and you take advantage of that. “Why aren’t you sleeping?” you murmur.

Surprise flickers across his sharp features before smiling at you. “I don’t sleep well outside my own bed,” he says simply, rubbing his tights. It takes a moment for the meaning to settle. You glance down at the soft blankets wrapped around you. His bed.

“You could lay me somewhere else-” you say, guilt stirring in your chest. “You need it more.” he cuts your words. You smile, but the guilt is still there.

His voice is actually so calm. But there’s something in the way he says it that makes your throat tighten. He has helped you so much already—carried you, tended to your wounds, given you warmth and bed to sleep in. And now he’s giving up his own comfort for your sake.

There is painful silence between both of you. Then, before you can talk yourself out of it, you shift slightly to the side, ignoring the dull throb in your leg. You lift the blanket just enough. “ There is enough of space,” you say softly. “You should sleep too.”

Wil doesn’t move at first. In the low light, his expression is unreadable, but you can feel his hesitation. Then, finally, with a quiet sigh, he stands up and smiles. “You are so stubborn,” Wil murmurs, though there is no real frustration in his voice. Just softness and warmth. A smile tugs at your lips. “So I’ve been told.”

Wil removes his shirt, because he sleeps without it and moves carefully, as if uncertain. You can see his toned body and the strong arms that carried you. When he finally lowers himself onto the edge of the bed, a strange sense settles in the air. He keeps a careful distance, lying on his side to face you. But the warmth of his presence is there, steady and real, a quiet reassurance in the dark.

For the first time in more than couple of days, you feel truly safe. Your eyes roam over him and you can’t unsee how beautiful he is even in the darkness. “What is it?” he asks after you have been literally staring at him. Your words catch in your throat as you hesitate to say it. But eventually you do so.

“You are so beautiful, Wil…” The words slip from your lips faster than you could even think about. Wil chuckles and his cheeks flush. “I don’t think the tea I gave you should have hallucinating effects.” he whispers. “And now go to sleep, you deserve rest.”

Wil opens his eyes, blinking few times to adjust to the morning light. The first thing he notices when he wakes is unfamiliar warmth. For a moment, he doesn’t remember; why? Why there is a soft weight of another body against his, why is his arm draped around someone? Why is the steady rise and fall of the breath so close.

Wil glances down and sees you. You’re still asleep, your head resting lightly against his bare chest. At some point in the night you must have shifted closer, and without thinking about it he must have pulled you closer. Now, one of his arms is wrapped around your body, his hand resting at the curve of your waist beneath the blankets.

He should move. Wil knows this. He should shift away before you wake up, before you realize it. But he doesn’t. Instead, he watches you, listening to the steady rhythm of your soft breathing.

In sleep, you look much different… Softer, peaceful in a way Wil haven’t seen you yet. When he found you, you have been all weary and exhaustion all over your face, barely holding yourself together. Now, here in his hut, in his arms, you simply look… safe and comfortable .

And in this moment something deep in his chest tightens at the thought. It’s unfamiliar feeling, something he never felt before. It’s not just the healer in him recognizing someone needs care. It’s something more. Something so unspoken yet so obvious.

A realization hits him as he watches your sleeping and unconscious state. He wants to protect you. Not just because you are injured and have nowhere to go, not just because you are practically alone. He wants to be the one you can trust in.

His fingers twitch slightly where they rest against your waist. He could move away now, could put space between the both of you before you wake up and eventually see something in his eyes he is not ready to confess.

But then you murmur something in sleep, pressing closer against him. And just like that, any thought of moving from you disappears. Let her sleep, he thinks for himself. Just a little longer. And so, for the first time in longer than he can remember, he stays still. Holds you close to him. He feels the need to be there for you. To care about you.

#austin butler #austin butler x reader #austin butler fanfiction #austin butler imagine #austin butler x you #austin butler fandom #austin butler x y/n #austinbutler #austin butler fic #austin butler imagines #wil ohmsford #the shannara chronicles #wil ohmsford x you #wil ohmsford x y/n #wil ohmsford imagine #Spotify

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huntercollectivewritingpile · 1 day ago

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About that Curly X Jimmy X reader thing… PRETTY PLEASE MAKE ITTT :3 I love the whole idea Jimmy telling curly to be rougher, while curly just feels really bad but at the same time dosent want to disappoint and ruin the experience for Jim so he goes rougher whilst apologizing to you, Jimmy just laughs and calls you a slut. MMMMMMMM

I wasn't sure how to do this while being original (struggle) but I did it! It's more drabble style as I wasn't sure how to pace out the story. (im still learning to write send help.)

Anyways.

JIMMY X READER X CURLY

P IN V, ROUGH SEX, DOUBLE PENETRATION.

You're not entirely sure how you ended up squashed between Jimmy and Curly, but here you were. Being held by them both in curly’s quaint kitchen, Jimmy's dick deep in your ass while Curly was deep in your pussy.

Jimmy, as per usual, was being rough, thrusting in and out at a harsh pace. Curly tried his best to be gentle but with Jimmy egging him on he kept changing his pace.

“C’mon Curly! Be a little mean, they can take it. Can’t ya’ baby. “ Jimmy taps your cheek with his hand before moving it back to your chest, groping it and circling your nipple.

Curly is internally fighting with himself as he has you hoisted up against Jimmy, sinking his dick back in until it hits your cervix. He doesn't want to hurt you but he doesn't want to disappoint Jimmy. So he thrusts back into you with immense force, pounding your hole until he’s sure you won’t be able to walk the next day.

You're a moaning mess, trying not to cry from the pressure of both of them in you, you could barely keep up with jimmy and now curly was doing the same? You think that you're going to die.

Curly leans down to your ear and lets out a breathy moan before speaking, “You're doing so well, baby. I’m so sorry, I know it's a lot. “

You want to say something but it's caught in your throat, moan after moan choking you from speaking your mind, you just dig your nails into curly’s shoulder, almost trying to push him off.

Jimmy lets out a mean laugh, “You're such a slut ya’ know, taking us like this!”

Curly feels a pang of guilt in his chest at the insult, he doesn't want you to think that about yourself but he doesn't say anything, he just continues to absolutely pound the shit out of you.

Maybe afterwards he’ll take you for a nice shower.

#jimmy mouthwashing #mouthwashing #mouthwashing x reader #curly mouthwashing #jimmy mouthwashing x reader #smut #curly x reader #curly mouthwashing x reader #writing #drabble

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problematic-yuri-poll · 2 days ago

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Problematic Femslash Ship Tournament - Round 4

DB - D-ne x B-ko (Shuuen no Shiori) VS. Juriori - Juri Arisugawa x Shiori Takatsuki (Revolutionary Girl Utena)

Info and propaganda under cut! This will not be spoiler-free.

Problematic elements for DB:

yandere, toxic, dependency, murder

Problematic elements for Juriori:

Shiori acts antagonistically towards Juri, 'steals' the man she thinks Juri is in love with - "So pretty… I loved the look in your eyes when I hurt you…" -Shiori

Propaganda for DB:

d-ne is a lesbian who lacks any sense of identity for herself and struggles to get close to anyone. she falls deeply in love with b-ko, who she deems to be perfect. when she finds out b-ko's "perfect" act is just a mask she puts on, she just falls for her even more. she doesn't care about anyone other than b-ko or what anyone but b-ko thinks of her. she puts b-ko on a pedestal and devalues herself, believing she could never be on b-ko's level. when the group finds the "bookmark of demise" and strange deaths begin occurring, b-ko gets scared and d-ne wants her to be scared so she can be the one to comfort her. d-ne then steals b-ko's first kiss! when the "demise game" starts, d-ne is given the monkey's paw which allows her to wish for anything, but at the cost of taking that thing away from someone else. she immediately starts making wishes that would allow her to "become more like b-ko". when she wishes to have eyes like b-ko's, a random girl who had earlier pointed out that her eyes match b-ko's gets in an accident where her eyes get taken away and magically transferred to d-ne, and d-ne just laughs and blushes over this. d-ne goes to visit b-ko, who won't open her door because she's so scared over the demise game, and when d-ne finally gets in, she hears b-ko calling out to a-ya (another character) for help. in a fit of delusion, d-ne decides the b-ko in front of her, who called a-ya's name, "isn't b-ko" and murders her, in the end, deciding to fully become and replace b-ko, believing she's "protecting b-ko" by doing this. then d-ne wishes for all her misfortune to disappear, which works, but since she's b-ko now, she dies at the hands of b-ko's doppelganger (the misfortune that b-ko had been dealing with during the demise game). honestly we need more girls like d-ne in the world

Propaganda for Juriori:

Cornerstone of toxic yuri

#problematic femslash ship tournament #polls #db #db shuuen no shiori #d-ne x b-ko #b-ko x d-ne #db shuuen #shuuenpro #shuuen no shiori #juriori #juri x shiori #shiori x juri

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p1astr81 · 12 hours ago

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the cove

In which: you and Oscar start your own restaurant, navigating the troubles of the unknown territory and the relationship between you. (au)

pairing: Oscar Piastri x reader

warnings: references to sex, no actual smut, use of y/n (once), lots of time jumps, bit of angst, fluff, more plot than romance lowkey

wc: 5.1k

an: I just rewatched the bear and can’t stop thinking about it so here I am

‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊ ‧ *‧₊˚ ⋅* ۶ৎ ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊ ‧ * ‧₊˚ ‧

Milk crates were flipped upside down, making use of themselves as chairs for you and Oscar to sit on during your break. It was rare you ever saw a break—let alone a collective one—but it was a Wednesday night and the restaurant was seeing few customers.

“God, I smell like oil.” You grimaced.

Oscar laughed, leaving a beat of silence between you before speaking. “We should start our own place.” He suggested, his voice quiet, fearing your reply.

At first, you laughed. A loud, mocking laugh. But his face told you that he was serious. “Come on, Os. Be serious. Where would we get the money? I mean,” you scoffed, “we can hardly get by living off both of our wages.”

Oscar bit his lip, eyeing his polished black shoes. He knew you wouldn’t like his next suggestion. “You could always ask aunt Audrey.”

It was a known fact that your aunt Audrey was loaded with cash. With no kids, a rich husband, and rich herself, how could she not be? But she always offered you money whenever she got the chance. You declined every time. You weren’t going to be her charity work.

You shook your head. “Im not asking her.” You said with finality.

“Why not?! We could make something—be something!” He tried to bargain.

You got to your feet, walking away from him.

“Just think about it. You and me, a brilliant fucking restaurant that we built.”

Head shaking once more, you turned to face him. “I’ll owe her for the rest of my life. Do you realize that?”

He stuttered for an answer.

“I don’t want that.”

Oscar blinked, nodding. “Yeah. It was just a stupid daydream anyway.” He kicked a pile of trash, threw the door open, and disappeared into the kitchen.

₊ ‧ *‧₊˚ ⋅* ۶ৎ ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊

Oscar had found sleep long ago, peacefully wiped out beside you.

You struggled to join him in the state. His ambitions plagued your mind. You felt like you were disappointing him with your rejection.

You turned over in bed, facing Oscar now. Even in sleep, you felt guilty about rejecting his proposal. He was so passionate about it.

Being shackled by the debt you’d owe to aunt Audrey was less than a desire for you. The longer you stared at Oscar, though, the less and less you felt bad about it.

₊ ‧ *‧₊˚ ⋅* ۶ৎ ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊

Before work the next day, you’d told Oscar you were going out to run some errands. A bold faced lie.

Aunt Audrey answered the door after a long few seconds. It gave you plenty of time to run if you wanted, but the image of Oscar’s disappointed expression flashed in your brain, rooting you to the ground.

“Oh my gosh! I wasn’t expecting you!” She gushed upon opening the door. Her arms were around you in an instant, pulling you into her mansion of a house.

“Hey aunt Audrey,” you greeted.

She detected the way your voice wavered, and decided to ignore it for now. The both of you ended up in the garden, sat around a fire pit. “How are you, love? Has that Oscar asked you out yet?”

You laughed. “No, we’re just friends.”

She cocked her head, eyeing you with a suspicious expression. “That’s what Nick”—her husband—“said about us, too. No we’re married.”

You shook your head, an awkward laugh. “No it’s not like that, I promise.”

“Alright…” she trailed off, the tone of her voice indicating that she didn’t really believe you.

You shifted in your seat. “Well, he’s actually kind of why I’m here.”

Audrey perked up in her seat, brows raising.

“He brought up yesterday—last night, while we were on our break, actually—that, uhm…” you fiddled with your hands in your lap. “well he thinks that we should start our own restaurant.”

“Oh that’s exciting!”

You forced a laugh. “Yeah uhm but, well, neither of us have the funds and I hate to ask you but uhm…” you shifted in your seat once more. “Would you be interested in helping… financially? Uhm, we’ll pay you back in full, along with whatever interest you want to add on, and uh, we can give you some of the profit. Twenty five percent, maybe?”

Audrey smiled. “Of course I’ll help you out! Oh, this is so exciting, I’m so happy you decided to ask me!” She beamed, jumping up to hug you.

“Thank you.” You smiled, though it pained you.

She took up her seat again. “So how much are you thinking? Just so I can make sure I don’t buy too many bags.” It was meant to be a joke, but it made you feel more guilty.

“Well, we’ll need to buy a place first, then all the utilities and equipment and the stuff for the dining room and…” you didn’t realize just how much you’d need from her until now. “You know what, forget about it.” You waived a hand through the air. She frowned “it’s a stupid day dream. Not really realistic now that I’m thinking about it.”

You went to leave, but your aunt grasped hold of your hand. “Hon, I have so much money that’s just sitting around. Please I want you to use it.”

She directed you back to your seat. “It’ll probably be close to a million.”

All she did was nod. “As long as I get to be involved, you can have as much as you want.”

A smile was forced on your face. “Okay. I’ll get someone to write up a contract. Just let me know how much interest you want to put on it, and does 25 percent of the profit sound good?”

She looked at you like you had five heads. “Interest? And a fourth of your profit? Honey, as long as you pay it all back, I’m fine. We don’t need a contract.” She shook her head.

Damn her and her generosity. The guilt weighed heavier on your shoulders with every word she spoke. But who were you to argue with her and risk her withdrawing from the deal.

So you nodded, “okay,” you agreed.

You cant recall a time you ever saw Audrey smile quite so large. “How about some lunch?”

₊ ‧ *‧₊˚ ⋅* ۶ৎ ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊

That very same night, Oscar and yourself sat around your coffee table—a dining table wasn’t in your budget—eating the left over food that customers didn’t bother to pick up from the restaurant.

Oscar seemed especially down today. You didn’t doubt that it was due to you shutting down his idea the day prior.

You called his name softly and he looked to you with his brown eyes blown wide in interest. “I went to talk to aunt Audrey today.”

He dropped his fork. “What do you mean?” He urged.

“She’s agreed to help us with the restaurant.” You didn’t meet his eyes.

Oscar gave a quiet gasp. “But you said…” he shook his head.

“I know.”

“Well, I mean, are you sure about this?” He was hesitant to ask the question.

You took a shaky deep breath. “Yeah. She agreed to give us as much as we need.”

“This is amazing.” Oscar beamed, rounding the table to hug you.

Your nod put him off. Not quite convinced you were happy about this. “This is amazing, right?” He asked, a nervous laugh.

“Yeah, ‘course.” Your strained smile did little to ease him, but he didn’t push it any further.

₊ ‧ *‧₊˚ ⋅* ۶ৎ ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊

Your free time disappeared, dropping to nothing. The hours not spent at work, we’re spent shopping around for a place that fit both of your visions. Most were either too small or not in an ideal location.

That was, until after a week and a half of searching, you found it.

The realtor stood at the door, allowing Oscar and yourself to enter before her. You stepped in first, glancing around the space, stunned at what your eyes laid on. You gasped, gaze finding Oscar’s after having done a 360 of the space. “Oh, Oscar, it’s perfect.” You smile was infectious.

He hadn’t seen you this happy in months. “Yeah?” He asked, slowly moving to join you at the center of the room.

You nodded profusely. “Yeah.” You confirmed. “How much did you say this one was?” You turned to the realtor.

“200k.” She answered simply. Your smile dropped, and following up quickly by saying, “but we could try and negotiate with the buyer to lower it.”

You nodded slowly.

Oscar didn’t have to ask you to know what you were thinking. The value of aunt Audrey’s money captivated your mind once more, as it had many times since beginning this journey.

₊ ‧ *‧₊˚ ⋅* ۶ৎ ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊

While the carpenters built a new wall to separate the kitchen from the dining room, you and Oscar got to painting. Most of the walls were coated in a light blueish-white. Except the back wall where the bar would sit against, which was being painted in a deep blue color.

Oscar dipped the paint brush back into the paint. He swiped it along the baseboards, careful to not paint them. The light wooden shade would go well with their plans for the dining room furniture.

The brush was dipped back into the bucket of paint. Too much paint. Oscar tried to shake it off. Good thing you set plastic down to protect the floors. The paint went everywhere, including on your face. A pale blue streak across your cheek.

“Oscar.” You called his name. Your tone questioned his audacity.

He looked up at you in curiosity. He tried, and failed, to hold back his chuckles.

“Oh you think this is funny do you?”

He broke out in uncontrollable laughter.

The pads of your fingers swiped across your cheek, collecting the paint. Your fingertips met his face, painting his face in a smear of the blue-white color.

He was no longer laughing, staring at you with his jaw dropped.

“Not so funny now, huh?” You replied, smug as ever, a smile of vengeance playing on your lips.

Blue paint from the can met Oscar’s finger, a purposeful gesture. The look he gave you was devious.

He stood, drawing closer towards you like a lion hunting down his pray. You held up a hand. “Don’t you dare.” His advances didn’t stop at your warning.

Cautiously, you backed away, careful of the paint cans that littered the floor. “Oscar don’t!” He chuckled, finger missing your face by mere inches. You ran for it, but he was faster.

His unpainted hand wrapped around your arm, pulling you into his chest. You tried to squirm away, but his arm around your waist held you in place. He laughed at your objections while he drew a tiny heart on your cheek. It tickled, drawing a giggle out of you.

With the proximity, you could see every detail of Oscar’s eyes; the streaks of gold that threaded through the brown and green. Mesmerized, lost in the way they shined when the rays of sunlight hit them just right.

He cleared his throat, reluctant to release you from his hold. “We should probably clean up. Gotta be at work in less than an hour.”

You nodded, tucking your hair behind your ears and stepping away.

₊ ‧ *‧₊˚ ⋅* ۶ৎ ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊

It had been a month since Oscar and yourself began flipping the barren building into your own restaurant. It was coming together. The bar was built, walls put in place. The furnishings were all that was left.

As you were preparing a dish, you overheard two of your coworkers.

“Did you hear about that new place that’s opening soon over on everlake street?”

“Yeah, lucky bastards. Probably rich fucks who couldn’t care less about the food.”

You met Oscar’s eyes across the preparation table. He could tell you were uncomfortable. It wasn’t hard to pick up from the way you shifted on your feet, and the way your eyes flicked around the room.

“I feel like I’m a shit person.” You confessed in a hushed voice later that night, sitting next to him in bed.

Oscar sighed, taking your hand in his and squeezing it. “If this is about what we heard earlier-“

“Not just them.” You interrupted. “But with aunt Audrey, too.” Your fingertips drew shapes on the back of his hand.

“Audrey is so happy for you. Why would she make you feel like a shit person?” Oscar leaned forward, observing your face fully.

You bowed your head. “You know how my parents put me through culinary school?”

Oscar nodded.

“Well, they resented me for it. Told me I was a waste of their hard earned money.” You shook your head, scoffing a laugh. “I don’t want the same to happen with aunt Audrey.”

₊ ‧ *‧₊˚ ⋅* ۶ৎ ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊

“Hey Aunt Audrey!” You greeted her with a hug.

Another month had passed. The dining room was all put together. Boxes of alcohol sat at the bar. The kitchen was still coming together. The preparation table was really the only thing that was done back there.

“Wow it’s looking fantastic, honey.” She beamed, glancing around the room. It was the first time she came in.

You followed her journey to the kitchen. “You think?” You asked as she pushed open the door.

“Absolutely, love. Best investment ever.”

The sound of Audrey’s voice alerted Oscar, who had been overseeing the installation of the ovens. “Aunt Audrey,” he smiled, greeting her with a hug just as you had. When he pulled away, he went and stood beside you, an arm coming up to rest around your shoulders.

“What are you going to name the place?” She questioned.

You and Oscar exchanged a look. You shrugged. “We’re not sure yet.”

Audrey waved a hand through the air. “No matter. I’m sure whatever it is will be excellent.”

“Hey, there’s a guy out front who needs your signature.” One of the maintenance guys informed.

You nodded and excused yourself from Oscar and Audrey.

Oscar’s eyes lingered on you until you were no longer in his view.

“I’m so happy you guys are doing something good with all of that money. I was worried I would just carry it all to the grave.” Audrey laughed.

Oscar sighed. “Yeah. She feels guilty about borrowing it all.” His gaze drifted to the door you exited from moments ago.

A frown replaced Audrey’s soft smile. “Is that why she was insisting paying me interest? And giving me a fourth of the profit?”

The new information caused Oscar’s eyes to blow wide in shock. “I suppose so, yes.”

₊ ‧ *‧₊˚ ⋅* ۶ৎ ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊

Oscar and yourself put in your two weeks. The restaurant was near done. The only thing left was to get all of your food for a test run with family and close friends.

Well that, and deciding on a name.

“How about we name it something fancy? Y’know maybe it’ll make people want to come in then?” Oscar suggested. You’d been lying side by side on your living room floor for the past hour, throwing name ideas out there.

You hummed, an idea sparking in your brain. “Maybe we name it after aunt Audrey.” You suggested. You twisted your head to face him.

He did the same.

Your faces were so close. Each time one of you exhaled, the other could feel the heat of their breath. You could see every little detail of his face. How deep his dimples were. And that same golden glow of his eyes.

It wasn’t a conscious decision, but Oscar’s eyes had trailed down to your lips. The plush pinkness of them enticed him. It was like a magnet, drawing him closer to you without his knowledge.

He froze when he realized his advancements, and receded back to a safe distance. He gazed at the ceiling once more. “You’re my best friend, you know that?” His quiet words weighed heavy with the burden of his heart.

You laughed. A sweet noise to his ears. Like a liquid sugar. “I don’t think that’s what we were talking about.”

“No, yeah, duh.” Oscar breathed out a laugh. “Naming it after Audrey would be nice.”

The silence stretched, both of your thoughts being the reason for the lack of communication.

Though, your minds were on different topics. Yours—on topic of conversation—was focused on creating a name that would reference your aunt. Audrey’s? No, it doesn’t sound right. Too basic. What about using her last name?

Oscar’s thoughts were far from on topic. Instead of Audrey coursing through his mind, it was you.

“The cove.” You spoke, breaking Oscar from his daydreams.

“Her last name. Audrey Cove. The cove.” You explained.

Oscar smiled and nodded.

₊ ‧ *‧₊˚ ⋅* ۶ৎ ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊

Opening night. The first display of your restaurant, serving your families and close friends.

You stayed in the kitchen, calling plates and managing the rest of the cooks. The best you could find.

Oscar was on the host stand, greeting your families and taking in all the praise for starting his own place. He was the more hospitable one.

The response was overwhelmingly positive from all those who came. You got in your head about it, though, insisting it was only because they were family. They were just being polite.

You didn’t see their faces when they tasted the food, though. Oscar did. He could tell their positive feedback was genuine. After all, visual reactions were always more reliable than verbal ones.

Audrey stayed longer than everyone else, tears welling in her eyes as she congratulated the both of you.

You and Oscar remained long after everyone had left. The dining room was dark. Only half the kitchen lights remained illuminated. You were both sat on the preparation table. Your topic of conversation was dependent on the future of the restaurant.

“So, Audrey told me something.” He began. You raised a brow at him, enticing him to continue. “She said you were pushing for interest on the loan, and that you offered a fourth of the restaurant’s profits.” The information was factual, but he spoke like it was a question.

You hung your head. “Yeah.” You confirmed.

“Why would you do that?” His tone indicated stupidity on your behalf. “We don’t have the funds for that. And even when we get started, we won’t have those funds for at least a year out!” He raised his voice in frustration. He couldn’t wrap his head around why you would want to plunge the both of you into a large gaping hole of debt.

“Don’t yell at me! You know exactly why I did what I did.” You shook your head. “I only went to her for you anyway. Just so I could help you make your stupid dream a reality.” You spit the words out at him, jumping from the counter and storming out to the dining room.

He called after you. You didn’t answer. He followed you out of the kitchen. “Don’t make this my fault. I didn’t force you to go to her.”

“Of course you didn’t! But I did this for you because I figured…” your breaths were erratic. “Y’know I figured…” you shook your head. “Forget it.” You blinked away the tears forming on your waterline.

You tried to leave, but Oscar caught hold of your arm. His grip wasn’t letting up any time soon, keeping you in place. “Figured what?” He asked, tentative and gentle.

Facing the ceiling, you tried to will this situation away, silently praying to the heavens to get you out of his.

Oscar’s hand slid down your arm, holding your hand in his. He gave it a squeeze. “You can tell me anything, you know that.” He paused. “I’m your best friend.”

A shaky breath was sucked into your lungs. “That’s exactly the point.” You confessed in a mere whisper.

“What?” Oscar asked. He heard you, but didn’t understand.

You built up the courage to meet his gaze. “I figured if I did all of this for you, that you would…” you took a deep breath. He was patient. “You would see me as more than a friend.”

The streetlights outside bathed his face in an orange glow, allowing you to see the shift in his expression. Eyebrows lifted, mouth agape, eyes widened. You knew you messed up when he dropped his hand from yours.

He cursed under his breath, taking a step back.

A nasty feeling brewed in your stomach. Bile threatened to inch it’s way up your throat. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” You repeated, shaking your head, trying your best to hold back tears. It’s like you could physically see him slipping through your fingers.

Oscar’s head was in his hands, refusing to meet your eyes. The further he withdrew into the restaurant, the more the orange glow faded from his figure. Like a visual representation of him fading away from you.

“Just forget I said anything, please.” You begged.

He looked at you like you were crazy.

“How long? How long have you felt like that and not told me?” His tone demanded an answer.

You shook your head, trying desperately to recall a time. You couldn’t. “I don’t know. Awhile.”

He cursed again.

“Look, I don’t want to ruin our friendship and everything we’ve built, please just forget about it.” The tears began to roll in silent streams. Your fear of losing him becoming too close to reality.

Oscar didn’t say anything. You were drowning in his silence. “I don’t want to be friends.” He shook his head. His words was the water filling your lungs.

You choked on your sobs. The sound seemed to flip a switch in Oscar. Suddenly, through the blurry tears, you could see him standing right in front of you. “Fuck, don’t cry.” He wiped away your tears with the pads of his thumbs.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” He started. “I meant,” he squeezed his eyes shut. “God, I fell for you the first time I laid eyes on you. Stupid cliche, but I never believed in love at first sight until them.” Finally confessing his truth, Oscar felt lighter.

You gasped a laugh.

“I never told you because I couldn’t bare the thought of rejection. Of losing you. It’s driven me crazy for years.” Oscar’s palms were warm against your cheeks.

“Years.” You sighed out.

He nodded, a stupid grin on his face.

Your hands pushed his hair out of his face, settling at the base of his neck.

Oscar went for it, dipping his head to finally feel your plush pink lips against his. And it was as close to heaven on earth as he’d ever get. It was inexplicably wonderful.

Years of built up tension snapped in that moment. You pulled him closer, heavy breaths exchanged through open mouths as the kiss became heated. He backed you up into a table, lifting you up to sit you on the surface.

His hands dug into your thighs while yours dipped underneath his button-up. He sighed into your mouth at the feeling of your fingers tracing the grooves of his toned body.

You pulled back; Oscar’s lips chased yours. “Probably shouldn’t have sex where our customers are going to eat.” You laughed, breathless.

Oscar nodded, chest heaving. “Yeah. Let’s get home.” He grinned.

₊ ‧ *‧₊˚ ⋅* ۶ৎ ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊

Three months after your official opening, you’d wracked in a good amount of customers. The dining room was packed each night. The reviews were excellent.

Oscar burst into the kitchen one night, during rush. You knew it was important. “Jean Flavia is here.” He whispered in your ear.

Jean Flavia. An esteemed critic. In your restaurant. Your breaths came sporadically. Eyes darting around the kitchen. Blinking a million times in a minute.

Oscar placed his hand on the small of your back, rubbing tiny circles there. “It’ll be alright.”

You nodded, though the movement wasn’t done out of a conscious effort. “Okay. Get his order. I’ll cook it personally.” You scribbled his name down on a post it, all caps and a few exclamation points. You placed the little blue paper on one of the tables displayed on your whiteboard with the guidance of Oscar’s finger.

“Sadie,” you called one of your other chefs. She’d just sent out a dish. She was the only one who wasn’t currently occupied.

She was at your side in an instant. “Yes, chef?”

“Take over, will you?” You asked, already drawing away from the stand.

“Yes, chef.”

Oscar came back through the kitchen, making a direct line to you to deliver the order to you. Your heart was beating out of your chest. Oscar could tell. He squeezed your shoulder. “You’re an incredible cook. Just pretend it’s for any old customer.” His encouraging smile settled your nerves a little.

His presence was gone from the kitchen as soon as it came.

You took a deep breath, gathering yourself before you began.

The dish was simple enough. Beef tenderloin, grilled asparagus and roasted potatoes. It wasn’t anything wildly outside your comfort zone.

But as you started on the asparagus, fear of failure crept up on you. If you messed up, it wouldn’t only hurt you, but also Oscar. You didn’t want to hurt Oscar.

The tenderloin was tossed on a skillet beside the asparagus.

“How’s it going?” Oscars voice in your ear startled you.

“Please help me.” You weren’t ashamed to ask. Not when the establishment itself was at risk.

He jumped in as soon as you asked him, taking the reigns on the tenderloin. He was always better at cooking the meats compared to you.

All three components of the dish were completed at the same time. You shooed Oscar back to the floor, leaving you to plate the dish.

It was the most perfect dish you’d ever plated.

You handed it off to one of the waiters, following the young boy out to the floor. You found Oscar quickly, stood by the host stand. You went to join him.

The concern radiated off of you in overwhelming amounts. It was starting to infect Oscar.

His warm hand found the small of your back, thumb brushing in soothing circles.

You tried your best not to look like a stalker, but you couldn’t afford to miss Jean’s reaction. You watched intently as he cut into the beef, and as he brought the fork to his lips.

And after all that, he had no visible reaction. He simply scribbled some words down on a notepad and continued to go about eating his meal.

“What do you think that means?” You asked Oscar, hushed whispers.

“I guess we’ll have to wait to find out.” He sighed.

₊ ‧ *‧₊˚ ⋅* ۶ৎ ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊

It was before hours, ten in the morning. Oscar was sat in the office when you returned with mail, shouting his name as soon as you set foot in the building.

He greeted you with a small, nervous smile. “Is that it?” He asked, glancing down at the newsletter in your hand. You nodded eagerly. “Well, let’s read it.”

The title of it was put simply. The name of your restaurant.

The Cove

While the name may lead customers to believe this is another bland seafood restaurant, it is much more than that.

The menu features a wide variety of flavors and options—something for everyone.

What is certainly more interesting, though, is the food itself.

I had the pleasure of receiving a meal cooked by the founders themselves, a young y/n l/n and Oscar Piastri, and I must say they have talent in the field.

The tenderloin lived up to its name, tender from the very first bite. The beef was mouthwatering, a perfect blend of seasoning to complement its natural flavors.

The vegetables were just as good. I don’t think I’ve ever had such delectable grilled asparagus and roasted spring potatoes.

Every bite of the meal was as good as it’s predecessors. It never fell flat for me, and I find that very hard to come by.

It would be foolish of me to call the food anything except for excellent. These two young chefs really know the art of the trade.

You gasped upon finishing reading, looking up at Oscar with a glimmer in your eye. “We’re excellent!” You cheered, jumping into his arms. You laughed as he twirled you around.

“I’m gonna bake a cake.” You declared when he put you down. You landed a peck on his lips, and he watched with a smile as you skipped off to the fridge.

While you baked, Oscar stood close, clingy as ever. He always had a hand on you in some way. Whether it was overtop one of yours, on the small of your back, or hugging you from behind. He was simply too happy to distance himself.

₊ ‧ *‧₊˚ ⋅* ۶ৎ ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊

It’d been a month since the review was published. Reservations were booked out for months. You cried when Oscar told you, too happy to contain it.

You laid in his arms one night, watching ratatouille for the eighteenth time. “I miss cooking.” You confessed. Since the opening of the restaurant, you’d been in a manager position. The last time you cooked a dish was for Flavia.

Oscar’s arms tightened around you. “I’ve been thinking… desserts would be a good addition to the menu.”

Inclining your head to look up at him, Oscar could see the sparkle of passion in your eyes. “Are you saying…?” The smile stretched across your face made the muscles ache. You didn’t care.

“I can’t think of a better baker around.” He replied.

Twisting around him, you straddled his hips, dipping to slot your lips together. Oscar laughed into the kiss.

₊ ‧ *‧₊˚ ⋅* ۶ৎ ‧₊ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊

Two years since opening.

Aunt Audrey refused to take any more money after you paid a fourth of it back. The only thing she wanted was a guaranteed table whatever night she wanted. Her meals were always on the house.

But you did pay back your parents, matching every dollar they put into culinary school.

You and Oscar moved out of your one bedroom apartment, buying a big three bed, three bath house.

There was a shiny rock on your finger, too. A wedding in the planning.

“What do you think? Dark blue? Or the lighter more sky blue?” Squares of fabric were shuffled around the dining room table. You were trying to decide on a color scheme. What color dresses your bridesmaids would wear, and the color of the groomsmen’s suits or ties.

“Why not both? Maybe the bridesmaids can wear the lighter blue and the groomsmen the darker blue?” Oscar suggested.

You tilted your head, thinking it over. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I like that.” You nodded, beaming up a him.

“Perfect.” Oscar muttered against your lips before planting a small kiss on them.

#f1 #f1 x reader #formula 1 #formula 1 x reader #f1 blurb #f1 fluff #op81 #f1 angst #f1 x you #oscar piastri fluff #oscar piastri x reader #oscar piastri au #oscar piastri angst #oscar piastri x you #oscar piastri one shot #oscar piastri imagine #oscar piastri

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lonely-ey3s · 1 day ago

Text

With All My Love : Chapter 13 | road trip - part one

Chapter 13 : Road Trip pt. 1

Pairings: joel miller x f!reader (no outbreak)

Word count: 11.5k

Chapter Summary: After your engagement party you struggle to understand how you feel. However, after meeting with your therapist a couple times, Joel thinks a road trip would do you all good.

Chapter warnings: Chapter warnings: SMUT (18+ MDNI), public-ish sex, unprotected piv, anxiety, flashbacks of traumatic memories, mentions of PTSD anxiety, mentions of thoughts of unaliving, FLUFF, joel being an absolute lover, soft!joel, possessive!joel use of Spanish but with translations, use of y/n, and therapy session.

a/n: requests are open! please send prompts or things you would like to see more of!

Dividers by: @saradika-graphics

Main Masterlist

Joel woke up before you that next morning, finding you still wrapped in his arms, sleeping peacefully. Your facial features relaxed, a small smile etched into your lips, nothing harming you in your sweet dreams.

He turned his head and looked at the time, seeing it was close to 10 am.

He gently kissed your head and stroked your cheek which caused you to make a hum in your sleep and turn off of him, cuddling up to the pillow as you turned around, staying deep in sleep.

He took that opportunity to get up and get some sweats and a t-shirt on before coming over and kissing your cheek, stroking your hair back, whispering, “I’m just going to make some calls downstairs… I’ll be back.” he kissed your cheek again as you sleepily nodded and smiled, “Ok cowboy…” you said heavy with sleep.

He brushed your hair back and then grabbed his phone from the nightstand and headed down the stairs dialing Diane’s number, Sarah and Elena were already up and cooking breakfast.

Within a few rings, Diane answered, “Diane speaking…”

Joel cleared his throat, “Mornin’ Diane, it’s Joel Miller, how are you?”

Diane smiled, “Joel, it’s so good to hear from you. I hear congratulations are in order!”

Joel smiled softly and chuckled, “Yes, thank you. I uh… I was wondering if I could talk to you however about somethin’ else, do you have a few moments to talk?”

Elena saw him coming down the stairs and went to greet him when she saw he was on the phone and looked at him, holding up the pan she was cooking with, nonverbally asking if he wanted any, he nodded and smiled, walking into the living room, sitting on the couch.

“I uhm, I know Y/N doesn’t have another session with you for another week but I think she may need an emergency session, we had an incident last night that may have knocked her back a few steps.” Joel held the bridge of his nose between his fingers as he explained your mental state, still feeling frustrated by it.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I appreciate you reaching out and would love to fit her for an emergency session today or tomorrow. What happened if you don’t mind me asking?” Diane asked softly.

Joel sighed softly and thanked her before explaining the chain of events. He also explained more in-depth where you seemed to be mentally, how you were anxiously telling yourself you were too much for him and worried that mentality could make you depressed or even potentially suicidal if it continued without intervention.

Diane agreed and said that was a concern of hers too after hearing how you were. She offered to see you sooner rather than later and said she had some time this evening to see you, said it would be best for him to come with, and depending on what you wanted, he could sit in the session or not, but she wanted him there in case anything happened with triggers. He agreed and said he would bring you to her office at 4 pm.

Joel ended the call and sat on the couch for a moment, thinking what he needed to do from now until then, he looked at his phone and dialed Tommy’s number as he said he’d call him this morning.

It rang a few times then Tommy picked up, “Hey, how’s she doing?”

Joel cleared his throat, “Still in bed but she’s ok. I just got off the phone with Diane, she’s worried about some things she said when I got into bed last night and is getting her in for a session later today.”

Tommy sighed softly, “What did she say? Is she going to be ok?” he worried he did something more than just trigger you. He knew the fragility of someone’s mental and emotional state once they got home and worried somehow he set something a lot bigger.

“She was sayin’ things like how she was too much, how she’s a burden. She kept apologizin’ too… like somehow her reaction to the trauma she went through was her fault.” he said softly, feeling anxiety creep into his mind now, “What if I’m not enough Tommy? What if she needs more than what I can give her?” Joel said quietly, almost close to a whisper.

“Joel, you’re kidding right? If you aren’t enough for her, then what does that make me for Maria? You are ten times the man I am… you move mountains for that girl, you’d rearrange the constellations and planets for her if it made her smile. You can’t seriously think you aren’t enough. You…” he sighed softly and chuckled, “Joel, she looks at you when you aren’t lookin’ like you molded the moon to hang for her in the night sky. She was lookin’ at you yesterday with every ounce of love that woman possesses in her heart… you’re it for her. Now you’ve got that ring on her finger, she’d go down to the courthouse in a matter of seconds if it meant becoming your wife. You never have to worry about bein’ enough.” he said bluntly.

Joel lightly chuckled and put his head in his hand, leaning on his knee, “I just always worry I’m not doin’ enough, you know?”

Tommy tsked and chuckled, “I constantly feel the same way. We are though, we just need to start believin’ it.”

Joel nodded and looked up at the wall in front of him, it had a photo of you, him, and Sarah hanging from one of her soccer games which made his heart warm and made him smile, “Anyway… I need to get back to things but I’ll keep you and Maria posted throughout the next couple of days. Maybe we can have you over for dinner or something, yeah?”

Tommy smiled and nodded, “We’d like that.”

Joel softly took in a breath and told his brother goodbye, sitting on the couch a moment longer before getting up and heading back upstairs with two plates of food that Elena had made for you two.

Joel had woken you up and made sure you were fed but after you had eaten you went back to sleep after taking a shower, the events of the last few days and especially last night wearing down on you.

Around 3 pm Joel softly woke you up and told you he got you an appointment with Diane to help with what happened last night but he needed you to wake up so you could get there on time.

You slowly got up, getting dressed in some oversized jeans, in a vintage sports pullover of Joel’s, and doing your hair up in a messy bun. The goal was to be comfy and get through the rest of the day.

To be completely honest you weren’t only sleeping because you were exhausted, you slept because it avoided the growing panic attack you felt growing inside your mind, feeling at any moment you were going to explode.

Elena said she’d stay another night to help out so that he wouldn’t have to worry about Sarah or the house when he got back. You two could focus on what you needed as she assumed this session would take a lot out of you that already was low and fragile.

Joel held onto your hand as he drove to Diane’s office across town, you focused on counting stop signs while he drove, trying to distract yourself.

He didn’t push conversation or try to talk, he knew you had a lot going through your head as he saw how quickly your eyes would move from one thing to another, how you were starting to pick at your cuticles again, and your knee would bounce when you sat still. He put the radio on low and let the music fill the air. Occasionally gently squeezing your hand or pulling it to his lips to gently kiss it as he drove.

He pulled into her parking lot, shut off the truck and turned to look your way, “Do you need a minute? We are here a little early if you need some time…” he gently ran his thumb over the top of your hand.

You looked at the office doors and shook your head, you knew you were safe there, you knew that Diane’s office was somewhere you could seek help in times like this when your mind wouldn’t stop.

“I’m ok. I think I’d like to go in now… sit down for a moment.” you said quietly, keeping your eyes on the door, reading the address and phone number on the door over and over again, not letting yourself think about anything else.

Joel nodded and leaned over, kissing your temple gently, “Ok mi vida, one sec, I’ll come ‘round and get your door…” he opened the truck door and was careful to close it gently, then walked around and got your door, holding out his hand.

You were staring at the door still, reading the numbers and spelling the street out letter by letter in your mind, your lips moving but not saying anything.

Joel looked at you then followed your eye line to the door, seeing what was on the door then looked back at you, “1124 Teterbeen Street, Suite B, what’s the phone number baby?”

You looked at him for a moment and saw his hand out, his big brown eyes eager to help you. You took his hand and got out of the truck, repeating the phone number to him softly.

“Good, now remind me what’s the address again?” he kissed your temple as he gently shut the door of the truck and walked with you towards the door, listening as you read out the address.

He opened the office door for you and walked with you inside.

Diane’s office smelled of lavender and eucalyptus which instantly calmed you. Joel could feel the rigidity in your body melt just a little as you held onto his arm.

Diane’s receptionist smiled at you and Joel and then pushed a button on the desk, which silently let Diane know her next appointment was here by illuminating a lamp in her office just a tad that sat behind her patients so it never felt like they were being rushed but let her know to start wrapping up the session.

“She’s just finishing up, please make yourself comfortable.” she offered softly.

You took a seat by the waterfall wall she had to bring a calm presence to the waiting area, it was somewhere you always sat before your sessions.

Joel had never been inside the office, just always dropped you off as Diane always recommended you come in alone so you wouldn’t build a co-dependence on him but today was different, today Joel was there if you needed him you told yourself. 'I'm not alone.'

Joel looked at the wall and moved his hand to take yours, “This is pretty… has it always been here?” he spoke softly.

You nodded, “She usually has it on. I think it’s to help calm us beforehand… she’s Pavlov-ing us.” you let out a soft snort.

Joel chuckled, “Pavlov-ing? Like the dog and bell thing?”

You nodded, “Positive reinforcement I imagine can be conditioned in many ways.” you shrugged, “After all, she is a psychologist, an expert in mind control…” you joked.

Joel shook his head softly and kissed your head, chuckling, “She’d find that funny…”

Diane’s office door opened and a young man walked out, thanking her and shaking her hand before he walked to the reception desk to schedule his next appointment.

Diane smiled at you and cleared her throat, “Y/N… it’s so good to see you.” she came over and you stood, putting on a fake smile for her.

“It’s good to see you too.” you nodded and put your hands behind you, starting to pick your cuticle, Joel sat and looked at Diane, smiling softly.

“Well, in today’s session I’d like to speak with you about what happened last night and you’re welcome to have Joel sit out here or if you want, he can come in with you, but the choice is yours. I’ll just have him leave for a few minutes towards the end for you and me to talk about a few things one-on-one.” she smiled kindly and held her notepad against her chest, waiting for you to lead the way.

You looked back at Joel and then at her, nodded, “Yeah um… can he come?”

She nodded and smiled, backing up a could steps, “Of course. Let’s take a seat in here.” she held her arm out to guide you into her office.

Joel stood and put his hand on the small of your back gently, “I’m right here…” he whispered to you, then walked with you as you hesitantly walked inside, all of a sudden feeling very anxious.

You came around and sat down on the couch she had against the wall facing her chair, Joel joined next to you and softly offered his hand which you took and gently squeezed.

She sat down and smiled at you, watching you very closely as you looked around and analyzed everything, zoning in on a new photo she had hanging behind her chair, “New photo I see… that’s uh… the Oregon coast, Lincoln city, yeah?” it showed a famous landmark from Lincoln City, Oregon’s beach.

You were deflecting and she knew it. It was something you did in the first couple of sessions you had with her when you started, she had a hard time calling you out on it without you getting defensive, telling her there was nothing wrong with making conversation.

She knew today was not a day to call you out, instead acknowledged but slowly crawled into talking about what was going on.

She nodded, “Exactly. You ever been there?” she smiled, leaning back in her chair.

You shook your head and softly exhaled, “No�� but there’s a resident pod of whales that visit there every season… it’s a bucket-list trip Joel and I have talked about doing eventually.” you smiled and looked down at his hand holding yours.

She smiled and looked at Joel, who was watching you very attentively, gently stroking your hand with his thumb, “I hear it’s a beautiful place to visit. Maybe you two can go on your honeymoon…” She nodded towards your ring and smiled, “Congratulations by the way.”

You looked at your ring and then at her and lightly let out a breathy chuckle, “Thank you…”

“When did that happen?” she probed carefully.

You kept your head down, starting to fiddle with the ring, “Um… two days ago…” you smiled softly and cleared your throat softly, looking at her.

She nodded, “Joel told me that you guys had a lovely engagement party thrown by some friends and family last night, can you tell me about that? What was your peach, and what was your pit?” she smiled softly.

You two had used this term often, a good way to express the positives but also negatives of situations without tying them to negative ideas and behaviors. It helped you express things when thinking about it in this way, she seemed to get more out of you when you thought of traumas or events this way.

You nodded and chuckled, “Uh… peach was Joel’s toast. He uh…” you looked over at him and smiled warmly, “He has a way with words, knows how to make a girl feel like she’s god’s gift to this world.” you chuckled and he smiled, gently bringing your hand to his lips and kissing it.

“Just speak the truth, mi vida… you are god’s gift to my world.” he winked and smiled softly.

You blushed and looked down shyly, leaning against him, looking back at your hands connected.

“Sounds like a good peach. It’s a lovely experience and opportunity we get when we have someone love us that type of way isn’t it?” she said as she wrote something in her notebook.

You nodded and inhaled, “Makes the pits not so horrible.” you admitted softly, focusing on anything but her, feeling under a microscope by how she was unwrapping you and the last 24 hours.

She hummed in agreement, “I like that point of view.” she smiled and wrote something more down.

“Now, on the other end, what was your pit?” she looked up at you.

You bit the inside of your cheek, and focused on picking your thumb cuticle that was near raw, “I think you’re aware of what was the pit…”

Diane took a soft breath in and cleared her throat, “I do… but I need you to tell me it in your own words… what made it a pit?”

You stayed quiet, your foot gently tapping the ground, tears were starting to well up in your eyes, you didn’t want to relive what happened. You knew talking about it would take off the soggy Band-Aid you were using right now and that it would open up an already aching wound.

“I know it’s painful and perhaps a little hard to talk about…” she leaned forward, “What went through your mind when it first happened? Start there…”

You swallowed and looked at the corner of the coffee table in front of you, “When I was back in…” you jutted your jaw out and let out a breath, trying to keep yourself calm, “... on our last field assignment, we were out running a damn missile. Same… fuckin’ whistle when it comes down from the sky echoes the field.” rolled your shoulders back and tightened your jaw.

“Same sounds that fireworks make when they fly up, right?” Diane softly asked.

You nodded.

“Tell me why you took cover by the shed, what made that spot feel safe?”

You shrugged, looking up at her.

“What made you run to that place rather than inside?” she pressed.

Joel looked at Diane then you, gently squeezing your hand to give you a little boost of support.

You looked at him for a moment then looked down at your hands, again tightening your jaw, speaking softly, “Joel was in there… and for a moment I thought I wasn’t safe… that I was back in an active zone… which meant he wouldn’t be safe with me going in there…” you let out a breath through your nose, “So I went as far as I could from his point of location…” you admitted.

Joel looked at you as you admitted that and then looked at Diane who nodded at him, letting him know that’s what she suspected.

You looked at Diane, “I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

Diane wrote something in her notebook then bit the inside of her cheek, “I’m curious… let's say if Joel is with you when these moments happen- do you think he experiences the trauma you do, or do you know he isn’t in harm's way? Are you able to separate that in your mind?”

Your body went rigid and you shook your head, eyes going numb and cold as you looked across the room at her, “I… I don’t know but I don’t want to think about that… I…” you looked down at the floor, “...there’s a peace knowing he and Sarah never will know that fear…”

Diane nodded, taking a moment before asking, “Do you think that if he had been around when those fireworks would have gone off you would have felt safer?”

You shrugged, “I… I don’t know.” you had a few tears fall down your cheeks, “Sometimes I can’t separate where I am from where I’ve been…” you sighed softly.

She wrote something else on the pages then swallowed softly, “When you first took cover, what did you see, feel, hear that made you think you were somewhere you weren’t?”

You closed your eyes trying to remember, and your knee began bouncing anxiously, “I remember hearing a faint siren in the distance.” your eyes began scanning behind your eyelids, “... the air was thick and dusty, like something may have been hit nearby… I… I could smell something burning…" your lip trembled, "...someone burning…” you whispered, voice breaking, “I couldn’t move… I… I felt cemented into the ground, heavy and…” your breathing became uneven, small jagged breathes as you started remembering details, feeling right back there, making it all too much, “I couldn’t breathe… couldn’t think, couldn’t hear… I felt like…” you shook your head feeling overwhelmed and stood up abruptly, snapping your eyes open, “No… I… I need to get out...” you began looking for the door.

Diane and Joel's eyes snapped up to you, Joel gently reached out to touch your leg while Diane tried to hold your gaze, “Woah… ok… it’s ok… you’re safe.” Diane said softly, holding up her hands to ease you from her seat, using her hand to tell Joel to stay seated which he did, “Hey, eyes on me… let’s count down from 10…” she said calmly but firmly.

Your hands shook next to your side, fidgeting open and closed, “I can’t… fuck… I can’t do this…” You began to hyperventilate, eyes scanning for an exit, then quickly moving around the table, tripping slightly on the leg, hitting your shin, hissing, “Ah... fuck…” You kept moving and quickly opened the office door, making for the exit.

Diane pushed a button on her table next to her chair which signaled the front door to lock automatically. Her office was by a busy road, and she learned very early on with dealing with patients with PTSD to have this safety tool.

She followed you out calmly and slowly, putting her notebook down on her chair before leaving the room, Joel standing with her and following, eyes filled with concern.

You pushed the door to open it but weren’t able to open it, which just pissed you off and made you panic, "Open the door…” you jiggled the handle again, trying to open it, “Diane, open the damn door!” your breathing became faster and panicked.

Diane looked at the receptionist and nodded, she turned up the volume on some white noise that was playing around the office to help ease you.

“I’m not opening the door sweetheart, it’s not safe…” she said, easing her way closer to you.

You stood facing the door, placing your head against its cold glass, breathing frantically, “F-fuck… I…” you rolled up your sleeve and started flicking your wrist with a hair tie you had again and again, shutting your eyes. You were told that shocking your senses would help snap out of moments like this in the army.

Diane heard the band snap against your wrist and nodded, “Good. Senses needing to be shocked I see... good job… you’re doing great.”

You continued to snap the band against your wrist, slowly falling to your knees, “I can’t go back…” you whispered over and over.

Diane’s receptionist heard what she had said and reached into a mini fridge she had below the desk and handed Diane an ice pack, something to shock the senses that wasn’t so abrasive to you.

She knelt slowly, listening to what you were saying, “You aren’t going back… you’re staying here… staying safe. Shhh…” She waited for a moment then cleared her throat “Let’s try holding onto this, yes?” she said reaching out with the cold pack.

You turned around, your wrist red and raw from the continuous stimulus to it, and sat against the door, facing them, taking the cold pack and holding it against your forehead, after a moment letting out a breath of relief and shaky breathes being taken in and out.

Joel came and knelt by Diane, careful not to move too quickly, gently reaching out to put his hand on your knee, you looked up at him and saw how worried he looked, how he wanted nothing to do more than help you.

You looked up at Diane and sadly sighed, looking hopeless, defeated.

She softly smiled, “Whenever you’re ready we’ll go back and talk about how to help these moments, yes?” she reassured.

You nodded and closed your eyes, “I’m sorr-”

Diane cleared her throat, “What is our one rule in here about that…”

You opened your eyes and softly chuckled, “Right… no apologies are allowed if they are due because of a trauma response…” you mocked her voice teasingly.

Joel looked back at Diane then quickly back at you, “Ok, so that rule is carrying over into our home…” he chuckled and gently rubbed your knee.

You rolled your eyes jokingly and smiled softly, “How did I know you’d jump on that rule?”

He leaned forward and kissed your head, “Because you’re notorious for apologizin’ when it’s not warranted sweet girl…”

Diane nodded, “We've found that’s a good indicator a person has been in toxic relationships where you are constantly accessing people’s emotions and reactions.” she sighed softly, “You most likely have it from your parents but mostly Charlie.” she suggested.

You nodded and scoffed, “Lovely… one more thing from him.” you rolled your eyes and moved to stand up, handing the ice pack back to the receptionist who smiled and handed you a new one, “Keep it… seems to help.” she smiled kindly.

You nodded softly and slowly took in a breath after a few moments, “I’m ready to go back…”

Joel and Diane rose together from the ground and nodded as you led the way back into the room.

You sat back down where you were and held onto the ice pack, taking a few deep more steady breaths. Diane and Joel sat back down as well where they had been.

Diane pulled her notebook back out and talked to you a little more about what happened, and why it happened. She advised that if things happen like that again, you use things like the ice trick or something else to shock your system into snapping out of that mindset. She advised Joel on things he can do to help in moments where things like this could happen but advised him to avoid triggers if possible as the more you’re exposed early, can lead to bad habits of coping outside of your own timing.

She looked at the clock with 5 minutes left and looked at Joel, “Could you give us a few minutes to wrap up?”

Joel nodded and looked at you, “I’ll just be out by the waterfall, mi vida…” he kissed your temple softly and then hand before letting you go and smiled and nodded at Diane as he walked out and softly shut the door behind him.

The moment the door closed you looked at her and chuckled, “Am I in trouble or somethin’...?” you joked.

She chuckled, “No, not in any trouble. I just like to check on some things that people tend to not speak honestly about in front of their partners…” she smiled softly, “I need you to answer me honestly when I ask what I’m going to ask, and either way I’ll take your word for it.”

You bit your cheek, “Damn, sounds like you’re about to ask me if I’ve killed someone…” you joked, deflecting.

She looked at you and nodded, “Well... we’ve never talked about it, and it would help possibly explain some triggers you have." she tilted her head and then softly and calmly asked, "Did you have to take any life back in Afghanistan?”

Your breath got caught in your throat and you held tightly onto the cold pack, looking down shamefully, fidgeting with the edge of the square you held, nodding after a few moments of silence “4 lives…” you clenched your jaw, holding back tears.

She nodded and wrote it in her notes, then softly cleared her throat before clasping her hands together and softly, carefully asking, “Because of that, have you ever considered taking your own due to guilt?”

You kept your head down and tears fell before you looked up at her, “Once.” you cleared your throat, “It was for less than a day back before I got to go home. It was after I got back from Delta 42 and 30…” you looked away for a moment, looking out the window, “Maria had gone home, Reggie was pretty much unavailable from the time I got to base to when I left. The days got long… I was alone for a big chunk of it because they wouldn’t let me work.” you set the ice pack down on the coffee table and swallowed, “All your left with is your thoughts, you know?”

Diane sat forward, giving you her full attention, “Sometimes silence is the most terrifying thing we can be left with…”

You nodded and sadly smiled then bit your cheek, “I uh… I got low. Couldn’t sleep, kept having echoes of what happened in Delta 42 taunt me every time I closed my fuckin’ eyes it felt like.” you looked down at your hands, “Joel was busy one day, couldn’t talk much and without that… without having some connection to the outside, I felt so fuckin’ alone… so consumed by the loss and fucked up shit I’d done in the last 72 hours…” you lightly chuckled, tears welling in your eyes, “For no more than maybe an hour or so, I saw my pistol on the desk as a way to ease the pain, stop the chaos from swarmin’ my head…” you fidgeted with your hands, “But then something just clicked and it was like a switch toggled on in my head. I felt lighter, could fuckin’ think and breathe… I can’t explain why or what did it- but never touched that pistol again until I turned it in the day I left.” you looked up at her, eyes etched with regret, "Please don't tell Joel..." you said sadly.

She listened and nodded along with you, making notes here and there with details you had told her, making notes on things you said then looked at you when you stopped talking, “What's said in here, stays in here." she reassured.

After a few moments of silence, she asked, "Have you had any itch to harm yourself since being home?”

You shook your head and cleared your throat, “No… Joel… Joel’s been so…” you smiled softly at your hands, “He’s been so supportive and loving that I’ve not had much time to get that low, you know?” you looked up at her.

She smiled softly and nodded, “Joel’s a good one, he’s solid, has a big heart, and he adores the ground you walk on which adds to it all…”

That made you blush and smile. You couldn't have asked for a better partner, a better fiancé.

She lightly chuckled, “Compared to what we’ve talked about with regards to Charlie… Joel’s been good for you.”

You blushed deeper and nodded, “I’m really lucky to have him… consider myself blessed to have even met him the way we did, you know?”

She nodded and smiled warmly, “Now you’re engaged… how does that make you feel?”

You looked down at your hand, messing with your ring, “I honestly had no idea he’d ask this soon, but… it feels right, you know?” you looked up, “He looks at me like there’s somethin’ worth lookin’ at. Fills my life with color.” you shyly looked back down, “I’m just ramblin’ cheesy stuff now…”

She chuckled, “Rambling about what makes you happy, nothin’ wrong with that...” she smiled.

You nodded and cleared your throat, “He makes me happy. I… I don’t think I’ve ever felt this happy in my life… never felt so… free…?” you chuckled.

She nodded, “After what you’ve been through, that’s an understandable feeling.” she smiled and nodded a little then after another few moments of quiet she spoke softly, “I’d like to see you again in a few days, just for a short check-in, would that be ok?”

You nodded and looked down, “Am I free to go?” you chuckled and then looked up.

She nodded and stood, softly chuckling, “You call me if anything happens, even if it’s in the middle of the night, ok?” she opened her door.

You nodded and walked out of the room, “Thank you for your time today…��

Joel stood hearing you come out and smiled at you.

Diane nodded and looked at Joel then you, “Mind if I talk to Joel for a moment? Just to let him know how to best help you in the next few days?”

You nodded and swallowed, “Yeah, no problem.” you came and sat in the chair next to where Joel was sitting, crossing your legs, grabbing a magazine, and looking down at it.

Joel looked at Diane and nodded, coming into the room with her, standing with his hands in his pockets as she closed the door behind her. She cleared her throat and offered for him to sit, “Oh… it’s a sitting conversation?” he asked nervously as he sat down on the couch.

Diane chuckled softly, “Not necessarily, although what she’s going through is very serious… but nothing like… that.” she sat down and smiled softly.

“So, what’s going on? How can I help her?” Joel asked, clasping his hands in his lap nervously but eager to listen.

“She’s dealing with PTSD, so avoiding triggers will help, which I know can be done… you’re very aware of her environment and very protective of her.” she smiled warmly.

Joel felt empowered by that. To know his love and devotion to you traveled and was noticed by others.

“But what I’m concerned with is that if she gets to a low point she’ll… she’ll get low, really low.” she pursed her lips together to accentuate the meaning.

He took in a breath and nodded, understanding, “What are warning signs to look out for?”

“She’ll start to remove herself from normal social situations, she may start to say things that feel off... you’ll know what those are. I think the best thing is to keep her busy, check in daily, and maybe encourage her to write in a journal, she’d do well with that… but just, be there and let her feel her feelings but don’t let her be absorbed by them…” she said softly.

He nodded and cleared his throat softly, “Sarah has a break comin’ up... Y/N mentioned that beach in Oregon earlier. While ya’ll were talkin’ I made some calls… I was thinkin’ of doing that in a week when Sarah's off school, do something to keep her busy but also somethin' to look forward to? What are your thoughts?” he sat a little closer to the edge of his seat.

“I’m going to see her again in a few days, how about I let you know how she is then? She’s in no way to travel so soon based on today’s session but she might be ok in a few days after she settles mentally…” she said softly.

He nodded and bit the inside of his cheek, “Anything I shouldn’t do?”

She shrugged, “Ask her what her boundaries are. I think right now she just needs a lot of support, love, and patience. Some light distractions to keep her somewhat busy and not lame would be good. Things like movie nights, going to the grocery store, small car rides, things like that.” she suggested.

“My brother, the one that set off the damn fireworks, should I keep him away? Would he be triggering?” he asked, sounding concerned.

She shook her head, “Tommy and Maria… it would be good for her to be around them. She needs all the support she can get right now and Maria knows what she’s been through. Besides, what happened wasn’t anyone's fault, at least purposely, right?” she pressed.

He nodded, “Right… it was all done with good intentions… just poorly executed.” he shrugged and chuckled lightly.

Diane nodded, chuckling, “Tommy unfortunately has a record for poorly executing things like this doesn’t he?”

Joel chuckled knowing what she was referring to; a work incident that Tommy was a little clumsy in after taking the three of them out to lunch and all of them coming back a little under the influence, “James had a hand in that too, you know?” he teased.

She nodded and let out a louder chuckle, “I’ll never let him live that down.”

They both chuckled and then Diane stood, “Anyways, she’s doing great, she’ll have a rough few days, but I think she’ll be ok, just keep me updated if anything gets bad enough where you can’t get her out of a… funk, you know?” she started walking towards the door.

He stood and nodded, “I’ll keep you posted. Thanks, Diane.”

She nodded and smiled before opening the door. You were reading a cooking magazine, deep in thought that you didn’t hear the door open.

Joel smiled at you and walked over, sitting beside you, kissing your cheek then looking down at what you were reading, it was a recipe for a Tuscan Chicken pasta, “That looks good baby… wanna go to the store and get the stuff to make that tonight?”

You nodded and looked at him, “But isn’t your mom cooking?”

He smiled and looked at you, “If she is we can just cook it tomorrow but we can still go to the store? I’ll call her in the truck and ask…” he touched your cheek softly then tucked a strand of hair behind your ear delicately.

You blushed and looked back down at the recipe then pulled out your phone and went to take a picture when Diane cleared her throat, “Take it home, just bring it back when you come back…”

You looked at her and smiled, nodding then standing up, “Deal.”

A week later

You had gone in again to see Diane a few days ago and were doing much better. Elena stayed a couple of days after to keep you busy and monitor you while Joel had to go to work for a few important meetings regrettably.

You’d never admit it, but Joel going back to work and not coddling you was what you needed. The less that you felt like a baby, the more independent you felt and the faster you adjusted and adapted.

You still had a few hard moments over the past few days with being alone for too long after Elena had left. However, it pushed you to ask for help or reach out to friends like Rose or Maria.

You found yourself over at Rose’s offering to help with whatever she needed from day to day, not caring how small or silly it may be, you just sometimes needed to be around someone.

Joel found when he’d come home most days he’d need to go get you from Rose’s as you would stay there until you knew someone was back home.

After getting the 'ok' from Diane at your last session, Joel let you know that you guys were going on a road trip to the Oregon coast over the next two weeks and when you'd be leaving.

That in itself kept you busy as you packed for everyone, ran errands to prepare, and one morning instead of going on a run, cleaned the truck completely out.

---

His alarm went off at 5 am and you were already awake, buzzing with excitement. You leaned over and smiled as you kissed his cheek and brushed his hair back off his forehead, “Time to wake up, we gotta get goin’...” you giggled softly, kissing his shoulder.

He chuckled sleepily and turned off his alarm before he wrapped his arms around you, humming, “5 more minutes darlin’...” he pulled you to lay on his chest.

You giggled, “Joel you and I both know what ‘5 more minutes’ means and it’s not truly 5 minutes it’s another hour…” you tried getting out of his hold, smiling.

The more you tried, the tighter he held you, keeping his eyes closed, trying to go back to sleep, “Shh, just let it happen… shh…” he teased as he held you tighter to him, starting to wrap his legs around you.

“Damn it, Joel, you’re like a boa constrictor with your hold…” you couldn’t help but laugh and give up, “Fine, 5 more minutes…” you sighed and cuddled into him.

He smiled and kissed your head, letting go of his hold a little, “Good girl, smart choice…”

You blushed and laid your head on his chest, “How far are we drivin’ today?” you traced shapes on his chest.

He hummed, partially back asleep, “We’re drivin’ to uh…” he drifted back to sleep, his arms starting to go limp around you as he was taken back deep into sleep.

You smiled and chuckled and moved your head to watch the clock, letting 5 minutes go by before you sunk beneath the sheets and began kissing down his body, slotting yourself between his legs, dragging your lips across his bare cock making it hard quicker than you expected.

Joel stirred and took a deep breath in, still somewhere between being awake and asleep. You kissed the inside of his thigh before spitting into your hand and began stroking him slowly, letting your saliva coat him while you pumped him in your palm.

He groaned and turned his head in his sleep, feeling himself become aroused, smirking as he started to wake up.

You loved hearing those sounds come from him. It instantly made you wet against your panties.

You were satisfied with your work and dropped your head to take the tip of your tongue from the bottom of his shaft up to his tip, dragging him out of his slumber, “Mmm still need 5 more minutes, amor?” you smirked as you kissed his tip making him grunt, slowly starting to wake up.

“F-fuck…” he said as he felt your tongue swirl around his tip before sinking your mouth over him slowly, tongue flat against his shaft, softly moaning.

You slowly bobbed your head up and down his shaft, taking more of him every time you went down.

He grunted and smirked, “Oh fuck, you’re takin’ me so good.”

You moaned softly and pulled off with a small pop, licking your lips, “Mmm you taste so good baby…” You dragged your tongue up his shaft slowly, eliciting goosebumps up his body, “Can’t get enough of you…” you drew your lips back down and then started to suck on his balls softly.

He gasped and gripped the sheets, cursing under his breath. He shut his eyes and swallowed a groan, making you kiss the soft spot of skin in his groin, “Mmm don’t you dare hold back on makin’ those sounds cowboy…” you stroked him in your palm.

He chuckled and let out a groan, “Fuck…” he hissed and let out a strangled moan, “Want you ‘round me…” he pleaded.

You thought he meant your mouth so you went back to wrap your mouth around him, taking him deep and slow down your throat, gagging slightly at the size of him stretching your throat out.

He groaned and his hips involuntarily bucked up, making you cough and moan as he went deep down your throat.

You pulled off him and had saliva dripping out of your mouth, panting heavily, trying to catch your breath for a second, swallowing before you went to go back on him, starting to bob your head up and down again, this time a little faster.

Joel grunted in absolute pleasure but shook his head, “Oh fuck... I need you… need you on top of me…” he groaned, jaw dropped and letting out a moan as you went down on him, moaning around his cock.

You pulled off and smirked, kissing up his thigh, “You want me to ride you?” you asked breathlessly, slowly moving to kiss his stomach and up his chest.

He smirked and panted softly, moving the sheets off to see you before leaning up on his elbows, looking down at you with those big brown eyes full of lust, “We’re gonna be sleepin’ in the same area as Sarah for the next 4 days… which means I don’t know the next time I’m gon’ feel your pretty pussy wrapped around my cock…” the smirked and looked up as you straddled him, your face hovering over his.

You hummed and took off your panties, then took your shirt off, eyes bouncing back and forth between his eyes and lips, “I’m sure we can find ways… sneak around…” you started to grind him through your wet folds.

He panted and grunted, laying back against the pillows, putting his hands on your hips, “Yeah? How would we do that?” he moved your hips at a slower rhythm than what you were, wanting this to last.

You leaned down and started to kiss his neck sucking it softly, letting out a soft moan as his tip brushed against your clit, “We can always swing a quickie in the shower early in the mornin’ before she wakes…” you reached down between your bodies and lined him up at your entrance.

“Think you can be quiet enough to do that? We tend to…” he grunted feeling you tease him at your entrance, “...fuck baby… you’re bein’ a tease…” he groaned feeling your lips suck against his pulse point.

You grinned and kissed up his jaw then hovered your lips over his, “Finish that sentence handsome… we tend to what?” you looked down at his lips.

He smirked and was lightly panting in anticipation, “We tend to enjoy each other in the shower, be a little louder than usual in there…” he bit his bottom lip, looking at yours, hungrily.

You smirked, “I can be quiet if need be…” you sat onto his cock, slowly sinking him into your warmth, moaning softly against his lips, “I can be a good girl…”

Joel gripped onto you tightly, grunting as he felt you fully sit onto him before he sat you onto one of his elbows and cupped your jaw, “Yes you can be a good girl…” he said before pulling you down to kiss him deeply a few times before you pulled away by putting your hand on his chest and pushing him to lay down.

You started rocking your hips up and down on him, “Call me that again…” you panted as you softly moaned.

He smirked up at you and bit his lip before lowly growling, “That’s a good girl, ridin’ my cock like that…”

Your eyes fluttered shut and you smiled, nodding, leaning back to put your hand on his thigh then began riding him at a faster pace, up and down on him, moaning softly.

He watched and groaned, seeing your tits bounce and the sight of him going in and out of you, “Fuck... you like that don’t you? Bein’ called a good girl…” he moved his hand up your body slowly before kneading your breast and playing with your nipple, keeping one hand on your waist.

You gasped at the stimulation and nodded, “F-fuck that feels good…” you sat fully on him, his tip pressed up into your cervix, you swirled your hips, earning a grunt from him.

“Fuck baby, you like me that deep huh? Stretchin’ you out?” he cooed, sliding his other hand from your waist to between your bodies and using his thumb to draw circles into your clit.

You gasped and bit your lip, “Y-Yes sir…” you cried out softly, suddenly feeling that coil start to wind up tight.

He growled and he twitched inside of you, “Careful now…” he warned, “Callin’ me sir’s gonna get you in a different position where we’ll for sure wake up Sarah…”

You opened your eyes and grinned down at him, continuing to circle your hips, “We aren’t road-trippin’ yet are we… sir?” you moaned softly feeling him twitch again inside you.

His eyes went dark and he sat up quickly and smirked, before leaning forward and laying you on your back.

He pulled out of you, “On your stomach… now…” he growled.

You bit your lip and giggled then turned to lay on your stomach, “Yes sir…”

He smirked and grabbed a pillow from behind him, and put his arm under your torso, pulling your hips up and sliding the pillow under you. Your hips are now slightly elevated, creating the perfect angle for him.

He laid over you, squaring up behind you, lining up at your entrance, “You’re gonna be a good girl and cum for me?” he said lowly into your ear.

“Yes… yes please…” you begged.

He kept himself at your entrance and used his free hand to brush your hair to one side of your body before sucking softly on your earlobe and plunging deep into your warmth.

You gasped and your hips rose up a little into him, gripping the sheets in front of you.

He grunted and growled lowly into your ear, “Oh that’s it… fuck…”

He started rocking his hips into you, making you breathlessly moan as he whispered into your ear while letting out small grunts or groans,

“That pretty little pussy takes me so well…”

“Don’t cover your mouth. I wanna hear you…”

“I know you can be louder than that…”

“Such a good girl takin’ my cock like this…”

You’d come undone within the first few minutes of him rocking slowly and deeply against that sweet spot. Your legs would quiver under him, becoming weak and melting into the sheets, mumbling how good he feels deep in you.

He’d eventually start to buck into you faster and harder, putting his hand on your waist and one planted next to you to hold himself up, panting hard and quick, “Fuck baby you feel so tight around my cock…”

He’d look to where you both were connected and the way your ass would shake as he slammed into you and smirked “Fuck mi vida, tu culo se ve bien rebotando así mientras me follo tu apretado y perfecto coño…” (Your ass looks good bouncing like that while I fuck your tight, perfect pussy…)

You’d arch your ass up a little with what strength you’d have left and try to thrust back into him to give yourself some added stimulation which only made things more sensitive and launched you into euphoria, “F-fuck don’t stop baby…” You pleaded as you moaned into the mattress to muffle yourself.

Joel gripped onto you and grunted, “F-fuck…” he snapped his hips into you and then groaned as he spilled deep into you, his forehead falling against your back, panting as he stayed still inside you.

After a few moments of silence, both of you came down from your highs.

He smiled softly and leaned his head up, “You were askin’ where we gotta drive today…” he kissed your shoulder softly, “We’re drivin’ to Albuquerque…” he softly rubbed your hip, kissing your spine, “But we should leave as soon as possible… it’s an 11-hour drive…” he kissed down your spine softly.

You hummed and smiled feeling his lips, “We should get goin’ then… we already stayed in bed longer than we should of Mr. 5 more minutes…” you teased and turned your head to look at him as he kissed down your body.

He looked up at you with those big brown eyes of love and adoration and smiled softly, “Touche… soon to be Mrs. 5 more minutes…” he came up and met his lips with yours, kissing you gently.

After another hour the car was packed, and you guys were on the road towards Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The first couple hours were spent with Sarah sleeping against the window and you reading a book while Joel listened to the radio softly in the background.

Around the 5th hour, you put your book down and discussed some activities and stops along the way you all could take with Sarah and Joel needing some type of stimulation as the drive was getting boring.

Sarah insisted on stopping in Moab, Utah at Arches National Park as well as the Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. You agreed as you thought you could get some really good photos with your new camera and could get some practice taking photos of Sarah and Joel.

Joel said he had purchased some Boise football tickets as their football field is blue and he’s always wanted to go to one of their games, he also agreed about going to Moab and said that your motel would be less than 45 minutes away from the park, it would be a good thing to do on your way in from Colorado.

Sarah eventually got bored after the list was made and started going off with ‘eye spy with my little eye’ however there wasn’t much to go off of so you and Joel guessed things pretty easily.

She pulled out a portable DVD player after 5 rounds ended in less than 10 seconds, frustrated.

You chuckled and looked at Joel as she put headphones on, “Is this the longest drive we have for this trip?”

He nodded and took your hand, bringing it to your lips to kiss it gently, “Yeah, I think the longest after this will be 8 hours from Moab to Boise…”

You nodded and looked out the window, “You wanna switch after our next stop? I don’t mind driving…” you smiled looking back at him.

He smiled softly and shook his head, “No, I like drivin’... keeps me busy.”

You looked back to make sure Sarah couldn’t hear before you smirked and looked over at him, “I could think of a few things I could do to keep us busy while you drove..." you teased.

Joel chuckled, “As tempting as that might be, we aren’t as sneaky as you think…” he winked at you.

You giggled and smiled at him, “Well for the record, if you need to take a break, let me know.” you kissed his hand and then leaned against the window, watching the road as he drove.

—

With a few pitstops and several hours later, you drove into a quaint little motel in Albuquerque, NM.

By the time you got there, it was around 9 pm, all you were doing was sleeping the night there and then leaving tomorrow for your next stop.

When you all got checked in and into your room, the three of you took turns taking showers as you all felt gross from the drive.

You ordered some pizza for dinner and then you all watched a movie before passing out asleep around 11 pm.

Around 3 am you woke up sweating, feeling your heart pounding but don’t remember having a nightmare so you just assumed it was due to the room being warmer than you were used to.

You slowly got out of bed and went to adjust the A/C but seemed to not be working so you bit the inside of your cheek and tried to open a window but nothing was working to cool you off.

You came over and checked on Joel and Sarah, both seemed fine, most likely used to the heat. You leaned down and kissed Sarah’s head, pushing her hair softly out of her face, and then came over to Joel and kissed his head, making him stir but fall right back asleep.

You took the notepad on the nightstand and wrote, ‘Going to sit by the pool, A/C sucks’, then grabbed a room key, and your book, and left quietly to go sit by the pool.

You had short shorts on and a t-shirt, so you just walked out barefoot to the pool so you could put your feet in by the edge to cool off.

You sat there for a few minutes before another younger guy came in, lighting up a cigarette.

You smiled softly and nodded to be kind and acknowledge him then went back to your book thinking he would just smoke and then leave.

After a couple of minutes of lingering, he cleared his throat, “Too hot for you too?”

You looked up, “Pardon?” as you missed part of what he said, head stuck in your book.

He smiled and started coming closer to you, “I asked if it was too hot in your room for you as well…”

You chuckled lightly, “Oh, sorry. Yeah, it is.”

He came and sat a few feet from you, rolling up his pants to put his feet in as well, “Not from the heat?”

You shook your head and chuckled, “I should be used to it, I live in Texas but was born and raised in Washington.” you shrugged and looked back to your book, hoping he’d get the hint.

He nodded and took a drag of his cigarette, “Ah I see. What part of Washington?” he let it out, filling the air around you with the thick odor.

You kept your nose in your book, “Oak Harbor.”

He chuckled and smiled, “Ah, so cold Washington.”

You nodded and hummed.

He took another drag and then flicked his cigarette, “Whatcha readin’?” he nodded towards your book.

You took a breath, “Uh, just a self-help book… nothin�� exciting.” you smiled and then looked back at the pages.

He nodded and bit the inside of his cheek, “I’m Danny…” he stuck his hand out.

You looked up and said your name, taking his hand and shaking it firmly.

He chuckled and cleared his throat, looking up at the sky, “Nice night, huh?”

You bit your tongue to avoid saying something rude, “Yeah, it’s not too bad.” you tried to read the same passage you’ve had to go over now 3 times due to him trying to talk to you.

He turned and looked at you after a few moments of silence, looking down at your bare thighs that were showing due to the shorts you were wearing, “So, uh, what’s a pretty girl like you doin’ here in Albuquerque?”

You were about to say something when Joel came in through the gate and cleared his throat, hearing him hitting on you, “There ya are, mi vida…” making his southern drawl really evident.

Danny looked at Joel and then you, confused by the name, “Mi vida?”

You smiled immediately hearing his voice and blushed, “My life.” You looked at Joel and then Danny.

Joel walked over confidently, “It’s Spanish, somethin’ of a term of endearment that I call my fiancé…” he came and sat by you, sitting purposely between you and Danny, offering his hand to him, “Joel… and you are?”

Danny swallowed and smiled somewhat nervously, “Danny…” he took Joel’s hand to shake.

Joel clenched his jaw and nodded, gripping onto his hand quite firmly, attempting to send a message, “Pleasure to meet ya…”

He nodded, pulling his hand away, and then slowly rose to his feet, “Well I think I hear my buddy callin' for me..." it was silent, "But it was nice meeting you both." he nodded his head towards you both.

Joel nodded and chuckled lightly, “Nice to meet ya… Dan was it?” he smirked knowing he was making him uncomfortable.

Danny chuckled and nodded frantically, “Sure… yeah. Well have a good night.” he gathered his shoes and quickly made it out walking towards his room.

You chuckled looking at your book, starting to finally read again now that you felt safe, “You’re horrible, Miller…”

Joel chuckled and turned towards you, leaning down to kiss your temple then cheek, humming, “Just making sure he knew what’s mine and who I was, that’s all…” he smirked seeing you blush.

You smiled, “Why are you out here? You and Sarah seemed fine when I left…” You kept reading the page you were on but kept some of your attention to Joel.

“I have a hard time sleepin’ without you next to me…” he softly said, looking over his shoulder to make sure Danny left and there wouldn’t be any trouble.

You hummed and smiled moving the book for a moment to kiss his cheek.

After a moment, he stood and started to take off his shirt and pants, leaving him completely bare aside from his boxers before he walked into the water.

“Your note said you were too hot…” he swam up to you and floated in front of you, “How about you join me? It’s nice and cool in here…” he kissed your knee softly.

You looked down at him and smirked, “Are you skinny dippin', Joel Miller, or did you leave boxers on?” you couldn’t tell from the angle you were at.

He smirked, “I can gladly remove ‘em if it gets you to skinny dip with me darlin’…”

You chuckled put your book down beside you and smiled down at him, “10 minutes then we're out and dressed in case we get caught…” You bit your lip and blushed.

He pushed himself up from the edge and captured his lips onto yours, gently kissing you, before pulling back and nodding his head, “Strip.” he commanded.

You turned a darker shade of red and then got up to put your book on a lounge chair, then stripped and covered your breasts with one arm and groin area with your other hand as you ran to get into the water.

Joel removed his boxers and set them on the side of the pool then dunked his head under the water completely before slicking his hair back and swimming over to you.

You stepped into the water and smiled feeling the water wasn’t completely freezing, humming softly “Slightly heated I see…” you dove your head down and begin to swim deeper into the pool.

Joel nodded and chuckled watching you, seeing where you were going.

After a few seconds, you popped up in the deeper end, slicking your hair back, softly gasping for air.

“Did I ever tell you I swam for sport when I was younger?” he smiled.

You shook your head, “Wait like swimming laps?”

He nodded and smiled, “Exactly. Was pretty good at it too…” he said before he did as you did and dove down to swim towards you.

You inhaled to hold a breath then sunk into the water to watch him swim towards you, you waved at him.

You let out a giggle seeing him wave back and blow a kiss at you underwater before coming to the surface and gasping for air softly then looked down at the water to see him swim up to you and then breach the water in front of you and grin, “Come ‘ere you…” he gently grabbed onto your waist and pulled you close to him.

You wrapped your legs around his torso and arms around his neck as he held you as you both floated.

You smiled and played with his hair to slick it back, softly humming then smirking as you looked at him as you played with some curls at the base of his neck, “I seem to remember that the thought of me being wrapped around you in the water made you do some pretty naughty things in a specific boat’s bathroom cowboy…”

He lightly nibbled on your jawline, growling, “You are correct my love…” his hands wandered between your bodies and he pressed his thumb against your clit, slowly drawing circles, “You wanna help me make my fantasy become reality?” he moved to suck on your neck softly.

You gasped and let out a moan as you felt his thumb stimulate you, you felt like you melted with how slowly he was building you up, “Why don’t you describe to me what that fantasy was cowboy?”

He nipped your earlobe with his teeth lightly and groaned, “I wanted to feel every inch of you while you wrapped around me… kissing your sweet lips…”

You moved your head back a little and cupped his cheek, “These sweet lips?” you leaned in slowly and kissed him deeply and slowly, slowly tangling your fingers in his hair, pulling him closer to you.

His hands were everywhere, touching your waist, grabbing the meat of your ass and thighs. They’d carefully trial up your back and sides like he was afraid he might break you if he was too rough, continuing to kiss you passionately and deeply.

You started to feel him rock your hips as you felt his cock begin to harden up against you. He mumbled against your lips, “Wanna mark you up baby, wanna claim you right here…” he said as he feverishly kissed your lips, slowly moving to you were pressed up against the side of the pool and him.

He moved his lips to start marking up your neck, sucking small love bites into your skin.

You moaned softly and ran your fingers through his hair, slicking it back as he did this, grinning, “Danny got under your skin I see…”

He growled and pulled back a little, “Talkin’ to you when you have a ring on your finger…” he hovered against your lips, moving his hand down to line up his cock at your entrance, “Now that’s downright disrespectful talkin’ to a man’s wife like he was…” he panted and grunted feeling his tip sink into you.

You gasped and moaned, “Mmm fuck... you mean someone’s fiancé?” you teased.

He smirked, “When someone’s flirtin’ with you like that, you’re my wife…” he said as he sunk deeper into you and groaned looking into your eyes and watching your reaction.

Your jaw dropped and you could feel the air start to leave your lungs as he filled you so tightly, nodding, saying with a hoarse whisper, “I’m your wife…” you put your forehead against him and moaned softly.

“I didn’t get you a dainty small ring for a reason…” he whispered, groaning as he bottomed out, feeling himself completely fill you up, “I got this ring to make a statement…” he started to pump back and forth, slowly, “…to show every other man that you’re mine.” he gripped onto your waist with one hand and cupped his other hand on your cheek, lightly gliding his thumb over your bottom lip as he thrusts up into you, watching your lips part for him.

You moaned and lightly gripped his hair and shoulder, grinning as you felt his thumb on your lips, leaning forward just a tad, taking his thumb in your warm mouth, sucking on it as you moaned.

His eyes turned dark and he twitched inside you, making your eyes roll back into your head and pussy tighten around him.

“Oh fuck baby… that’s hot…” he growled and started thrusting up into you a little faster, holding onto your hip, to keep you as tight down on him as possible, hitting your cervix over and over.

You tightened your legs around him and moaned louder against his finger, panting quickly feeling yourself about to come undone.

He moaned and grunted feeling himself close, “Can you cum for my baby? I need you to cum for me…” he pleaded pulling his thumb out of your mouth, “What do you need?” he groaned feeling you tighten around him.

You panted as you moaned softly, then cupped his cheek, “Kiss me…” you whispered then pulled his lips to yours, kissing his lips deeply and passionately, moving your hips with his as he continued to thrust up into you deeply, needing more friction.

He put his hands on your hips and panted heavily as his lips crashed over yours, feeling a deep pull in his navel.

You pulled away from his lips and stalled your hips as you came undone, fluttering around him, tightening your legs around his hips, moaning and leaning your head back against the wall, feeling waves of pleasure crash over you.

He clenched his jaw and within moments of you tightening around him spilled into you, grunting and panting as he kissed anywhere his lips could touch; neck, jaw, cheeks, he was everywhere.

You chuckled as your head leaned against the wall and panted softly, humming, “I should let more men flirt with me if that’s the side of you I’m gonna get…” you teased.

Joel softly nipped your jaw and moved his hands up your body, groaning softly as he pulled out of you, “Nuh-uh… you’re all mine.” he smirked as he kissed your throat softly, “All mine…” he leaned up and connected your lips with his, kissing you deeply, holding you up against him.

You two returned to the room without being caught in the pool or Sarah waking up about 15 minutes later.

In the morning Joel’s alarm went off around 7 am. You all got up with some groaning and moaning, still tired but got showered and ready then left within the hour, grabbing breakfast on the way.

A little over 6 hours later you ended up in Mesa Verde National Park, driving to Cliff Palace. Sarah finally felt excited about something since driving up to this point was quite boring for her.

You all went and saw the cliff palace, Sarah took a bunch of photos with her phone, you had your camera out and were taking photos of not only the landmark but taking candid photos of people around you as well as Sarah and Joel.

Joel found you focused on taking a photo of an older couple holding hands as they watched the landscape together, it was a sweet sight to see, they both saw new things and enjoyed each other’s company. He snapped a photo of his phone of you in your element.

Once you were done outside, Sarah begged to go inside to see the museum they had in a building nearby to which you all three went in and finished within a half hour.

Sarah got into the truck as you were leaving and leaned forward between the two seats, “How long is it to the next stop?” she asked nervously, not wanting to be in the car longer than she had already been in the last 24 hours.

Joel looked at her from his mirror and chuckled, “Moab is only a 3-hour drive baby girl… I promise from here on it shouldn’t be so boring.”

She smiled and nodded then pulled out the DVD player, putting on a movie for herself.

You pulled out your camera and started looking through the photos you had taken, mentally marking which ones you may want to edit when you got to the hotel before you fell asleep against the window, feeling the sun warming you up as he drove for the last couple hours.

—

Almost 2 hours later Joel leaned over and kissed your cheek, “Hey, we’re here…” You opened your eyes to see you were starting to drive through Arches National Park after he paid a park ranger for entrance.

You sat up and smiled, eyes wide at its beauty, “Holy shit…” you rolled down the window and grabbed your camera, starting to snap photos of things as you drove by.

Sarah rolled down the window and looked at Joel, “Can I stick my head out a little?”

Joel looked back and saw there wasn’t any traffic behind them, “Yes but be careful…” he chuckled.

She stuck her head out and you turned and took photos of her laughing, and smiling, the red rock in the background.

You giggled and then turned in your seat and took photos of Joel, “Give me a smile, cowboy…” you smiled at him.

Joel looked at you and smiled as you took a few shots before putting his eyes back onto the road, putting his hand on your thigh, feeling utterly happy in this moment with the two most important people in his life.

You looked ahead and saw you were heading into a tunnel, you giggled and looked at Joel, “Roll down your window baby…” he looked at you a little confused, and you nodded, smiling encouragingly.

He rolled it down then you stuck your head out of the window as you entered the tunnel and yelled, “Woohoo!” letting it echo down the tunnel.

Sarah realized what you did and yelled as well and giggled.

Joel let out a loud whistle and shouted as well before chuckling to himself at how ridiculous this all could have sounded to the people in front of you.

The echo was filled with sounds of you and your family’s utter pure joy.

To you, this was the best sound in the world.

Previous chapter - Next chapter

a/n: this will be a three-part chapter i think instead of two, there are certain elements I want in the next chapter/part of this trip but don’t want to over wash it so just warning ya’ll there may be an extra chapter

taglist: @sarahhxx03, @blahkateisdone, @sunnytuliptime, @pedroscurls, @docharleythegeekqueen @pedritosgirl2000 @fancyyoouu @greendudenumber7

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bookworrm1999 · 3 days ago

Text

How Far Away? Part 5

Caleb x Mc

Tags: unplanned pregnancy, presumed death, depression, miscommunication

AO3

Caleb had been at this for over a week now.

He was exhausted, he could feel it down to his bones

His eyes were twitching, his head hurt, his face felt a little numb, his body felt weak.

All he wanted to do was slump to the floor and sleep for a week.

That wasn’t in the cards for him though, he had to get home to you

He couldn’t let his concentration slip too much or all the progress he had made in pulling them away from the black hole behind them, would be all lost

All he could do was take short naps, really only being half asleep.

It left him feeling vulnerable, staying in the this one spot in the command center. Keeping his eyes on one spot in space to concentrate his evol there to create the counter black hole.

He didn’t know if his crew thought that he was doing this all for them or just to save his own hide but they seemed to respect him more

After all, regardless of his reasons, he was saving all of their lives as a side effect.

They brought him a comfy chair from one of the crew members private quarters. One woman from the kitchen brought him easy to eat, protein rich meals.

Caleb had tried to wave it away, saying it should be given to the other crew members.

She had just stared at him stubbornly, an older lady who looked like she was old enough to be his mother.

“Colonel, you are the one working the hardest right now. If you don’t think we can spare a bit of food for you, you are sorely mistaken. Now, forgive me if this sounds like insubordination but young man,”

She shoves the food into his lap

“You need to eat.”

The woman walked away with satisfaction written on her face.

Caleb felt properly chastised now and by someone other than the love of his life.

Well he wasn’t going to complain, food helped him keep his energy up since he couldn’t even sleep much now.

Maybe his crew weren’t so bad after all.

Not that he was going to take it easy on them but he found he didn’t mind that he was also saving their lives too.

His head was pounding now, rubbing his fingers into his temples and massaging his head didn’t do much to aleve him of the feeling

Grabbing the water bottle beside him, he drank his electrolyte water greedily.

Despite them rationing everything as much as they could, their food stores were starting to deplete.

They weren’t meant to idle in this place for this long. The ship was meant to be closer to the exit of the deepspace tunnel at this point of time.

Meeting up with a supply ship was supposed to happen around the time that this whole ordeal had happened.

Caleb supposed that the traitor had already met up with the supply ship, reporting on the rest of the crews and his own demise.

His fingers tightening on the chair’s armrest, his leather gloves creaking under the pressure.

A sly grin coming into bloom on his stormy face.

If that dirty little saboteur had thought that they had gotten away with murder, well they had no idea about the storm coming their way.

Revenge would be sweet indeed.

Caleb really hoped that they hadn’t immediately taken that bastard’s word at face value though.

He knows that the shuttle's logs would’ve shown the recent incident with the wanderer and black hole.

They would surely be sending out a ship to investigate.

If he could just finish pulling them out of the black holes area of influence.

Then they could limp their way slowly back and hopefully meet that investigation ship.

Sighing deeply, he thought of her. His guiding pipsqueak, he wondered if she knew the history behind the term. How a pipsqueak was the guidance system aboard an airplane.

His guiding light.

Caleb hoped that she was doing ok, hopefully word of what had happened hadn’t reached her.

That she didn’t think that he had left her in this world all alone again.

He didn’t want to die but he thought that her dying would be worse.

She was his whole reason for living, the thing that kept him going from the time they were young and stuck in Ever’s lab together.

Thoughts of his time with her, her smile, laugh, their tangling of limbs late into the night. It was what kept him going now.

Caleb was so tired, he had never used his evol at full strength for this long before.

It was a miracle that he hadn’t collapsed already.

He had a feeling that she was the reason for the miracle.

Time passed slowly and agonizingly. Caleb almost seemed to think he was hallucinating at times.

Her laugh echoing through the empty command center, bouncing off of the cold metal.

Space was so lonely.

It was now a week until the ship was supposed to have reached home.

Just a bit more, Caleb told himself. Half delirious, stomach pangs hitting him hard

He hadn’t eaten in two days, the food stores basically gone.

Surviving off of electrolyte water as thankfully the water filtration systems were still operational.

This was by far the worst day. He needed to distract himself somehow. Okay, breathe.

Breathe in

The sound of her squeal when he picked her up by her thighs and threw her on the bed.

Breathe out

The mischievous giggle she makes when she thinks she’s gotten away with something. He’d let her get away with murder.

Breathe in

Her cute pout when he beats her in any video game they play. Until she bursts into laughter from him tickling her to get her attention again.

Breathe out

The sunlight shining in her hair, her content face leaning towards the sun like a sunflower, making him feel like an angel had descended down just for him.

Then he felt it, the release.

The black hole had finally let go of the ship.

He slumped back into the chair, sweat plastering his hair to his forehead. Panting as if he had been in a 10k marathon. Which it might as well have been.

His lieutenant came into the room, feel the jerk of the ship.

“Sir? Are we free?”

Right, he still had a job to do. He pulled his hat off his head, brushing his sweaty hair back out of his eyes. Settling his hat back onto his head he started to say

“Yes, let the engine room know that we can start to make our way-“

Caleb stood up out of the chair he had been living in. Too fast.

That’s weird, where was his lieutenant’s face? All he can see is her face. Bright and shining as she laughs.

Oh his face feels blissfully cool, that was nice.

His ears were ringing.

That wasn’t nice.

He could hear loud shouts and someone shaking him. Barely able to make the words out

“Sir! Sir, are you okay?”

He’s fine, he’s on cloud nine. He’s just ready for a nap. Yes a nap, that sounds wonderful. Caleb’s eyes closed, ready to rest for the first time in weeks.

He woke again an indeterminate amount of time later.

Not really wanting to get up yet, he could just barely make some words out.

“Severely dehydrated and malnourished, we need-“

“- drop a saline bag and push a calorie bag of 5000.”

“Get me some propranolol, dose him at 1 mg over three-“

“His heart rate is out of control!”

“Keep pushing propranolol!”

“He’s seizing!”

“Push lorazepam, 2 mg over-!”

That was weird, he felt like he was floating over his body.

People scrambled around him frantically. He can hear a loud beeping noise from one side of the room.

Nurses pushing syringes into an open IV in his left arm.

Caleb closed his eyes again, he hoped he’d see her soon.

“Heart rate dropping, down to 40 beats a minute!”

“Code blue!” was the last thing he heard before drifting off.

Tags: @moonberry69 @supermyeon22 @tinnyrabbit @gavin3469 @marina27826 @crowleysthings @tabi-callico @midiplier

@his-ocean-emissary @rosalyne08 @dummiebunny @tsunamethyst @xaviers-pookie-bear

#love and deepspace caleb #love and deepspace #lads caleb #lnds caleb #caleb x mc #caleb x reader

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saebyeokbliss · 8 hours ago

Text

ALL I REALLY WANT IS YOU

chapter one

"what are you willing to do?" "anything if it's for you."

synopsis: you never wanted to be part of this world—this business built on desperation, where people come seeking hope and leave with nothing but empty promises. but working under mr. lim means you don’t get a choice. your job is simple: take calls, organize paperwork, and never get involved. but when two sisters walk into the office, carrying the weight of the past and the fight for their family on their shoulders, something shifts. you weren’t supposed to care. you weren’t supposed to listen. now, you’re starting to wonder if staying out of it is something you can really do. pairing: kang sae-byeok x fem!reader x kang no-eul warnings: violence, abuse, exploitation, trauma, kidnapping, human trafficking, emotional manipulation, poverty, gambling, debt, crime, corruption, mentions of illness, blood, injury, psychological distress, mild language, substance abuse, family separation, mentions of war, betrayal, moral dilemmas, unethical business practices

a/n: i hope you guys enjoy this series!! and thank you for all the love on JMMATA!!

Lim Do-yun never asked for much—not in words, at least. His demands were implied, expectations set in stone long before you ever had the chance to question them. It was the same every morning: wake up before the sun, get dressed in something professional but not too eye-catching, and take the earliest bus to his office in downtown Seoul. The walls of that cramped, dimly lit space weren’t just where you worked—they were where you existed. Where you endured.

The air always smelled of ink and stale coffee, the scent clinging to the stacks of paperwork cluttering the desk you sat behind. It wasn’t a glamorous job. You weren’t even sure it counted as a real job, considering the only reason you were here was because Do-yun hadn’t given you much of a choice.

"It’s experience," he had said when you first started, sliding a pile of documents toward you without so much as glancing up. "You’re studying business, aren’t you? Think of this as practice."

Practice. Right. Because working as an assistant for a man who made his living exploiting desperate people was exactly the kind of future you had in mind.

But you didn’t argue. You never did.

Instead, you sat at that desk every day, answering calls, organizing files, making sure his schedule was in order. You watched as people came and went, their faces etched with worry, desperation, sometimes even anger. You knew better than to get involved. You were just the assistant—just the girl sitting behind the desk, pretending not to hear the whispered negotiations, the thinly veiled threats.

And when your shift ended, you packed up your things and left, heading straight to Seoul National University like none of it had ever happened.

You had worked too hard to get into SNU to let this job consume you. You told yourself that every time you sat in a lecture hall, surrounded by students who had never known what it was like to struggle, who had never been forced to live two lives at once. They talked about investments and startups, about ambitions that stretched sky-high. You listened, nodding along, pretending that your own aspirations hadn’t already been decided for you.

You were studying business—more specifically, finance. Numbers made sense. They weren’t unpredictable like people, didn’t come with hidden motives or unspoken debts. If you could just hold out a little longer, get through school and graduate, you could find a way out. A way to leave Do-yun and his world behind.

But for now, you were here.

And here, in this world of hushed conversations and unspoken rules, you had no choice but to play along.

"Cheol!"

The moment Kang Sae-byeok stepped into the visiting room, her little brother looked up from where he sat at a small table, his eyes lighting up with a mixture of happiness and relief. He scrambled out of his chair, nearly knocking it over in his rush to get to her. No-eul, standing just behind Sae-byeok, barely had time to brace herself before he barreled into both of them, his thin arms wrapping tightly around their waists.

"You came," he mumbled into Sae-byeok’s coat, his voice muffled.

"Of course, we did," Sae-byeok said, running a hand through his dark hair. "What, did you think we'd forget about you?"

Cheol shook his head, but he didn’t let go. No-eul crouched down slightly, placing a hand on his back. "You okay, buddy?"

There was a pause. Then, slowly, Cheol pulled away, looking down at the floor. His small hands clenched at the hem of his sweater.

"Some kids were saying stuff," he muttered. "That I’ll never leave here. That I’m gonna be stuck in this place forever."

Sae-byeok’s stomach tightened.

"Who said that?" she asked, her voice sharper than she intended.

"It doesn’t matter," Cheol mumbled, kicking at the scuffed tile floor. "They’re probably right anyway."

No-eul sighed, reaching out to cup his cheek. "Hey. Look at me."

Cheol hesitated before lifting his gaze to meet hers. His eyes—so much like their father’s, so much like Sae-byeok’s—were filled with something that made No-eul’s chest ache.

"You’re not going to stay here forever," she said firmly. "We’re going to get you out. We just need a little more time."

Cheol’s lip trembled. "You always say that."

"Because it’s true," Sae-byeok said, crouching down beside No-eul. "We’re doing everything we can. We’re gonna get you out of here, and we’re gonna bring Mom back, too."

Cheol blinked up at them. "You promise?"

Sae-byeok hesitated, knowing better than to make empty promises. But this wasn’t empty. She meant it with everything in her.

"I promise," she said.

No-eul nodded. "Me too."

Cheol sniffled, but a small, hopeful smile tugged at his lips. He launched himself into their arms again, and they held him tightly, neither of them willing to let go first.

But eventually, visiting hours would end, and reality would pull them back.

They stayed with Cheol a little longer, talking about things that didn’t make their hearts feel heavy—his schoolwork, the books he’d been reading, the new caretaker who always snuck him extra snacks. They laughed when he did impressions of the other kids, rolling their eyes when he exaggerated his stories just to make them laugh harder.

But when a staff member stepped in to remind them their time was almost up, that weight settled back onto their shoulders.

Sae-byeok ruffled Cheol’s hair one last time before standing up. "We’ll be back soon, okay?"

Cheol nodded, his smile a little steadier this time. "Okay."

No-eul squeezed his shoulder. "Be good."

"I’m always good."

Sae-byeok snorted. "Sure you are."

With one last reluctant glance, they turned and walked out, leaving behind the little boy they had sworn to protect.

As soon as they stepped outside, the cold air bit at their skin, but neither of them paid it any mind.

"You ready?" Sae-byeok asked, her breath visible in the winter air.

No-eul tightened her coat around herself and nodded. "Let’s go see what this stupid guy has to say."

And with that, they made their way toward the broker’s office, carrying the weight of a promise they refused to break.

The office was just as suffocating as ever. Dim lighting, cluttered desks, and the ever-present scent of burnt coffee mixed with stale paperwork. It wasn’t the kind of place that welcomed people—it swallowed them whole, chewed them up, and spit them back out either more desperate or more defeated than when they walked in.

You had seen it happen a hundred times before.

You sat behind your desk, sifting through a pile of documents, your fingers moving on autopilot as the door creaked open. Two women stepped inside, their presence commanding attention even before they spoke.

The first was sharp-eyed and guarded, her stance rigid with distrust. She wore her exhaustion like a second skin, but there was a fire in her gaze—a stubbornness that said she had been fighting for too long to give up now.

The second was quieter in her strength, but no less formidable. There was something heavy in her eyes, something you couldn’t quite place. She carried herself like someone who had lost too much but refused to let it break her.

They didn’t look around the office, didn’t take in the fading wallpaper or the piles of discarded folders stacked against the walls. They were here for one reason, and they weren’t interested in anything else.

"Mr. Lim is expecting us," the sharp-eyed one said, her voice sharp and to the point.

You nodded, setting aside the documents in your hand. "Names?"

"Kang Sae-byeok," the first woman said.

"Kang No-eul," the other added.

Kang.

Your fingers hovered over the appointment log for a split second before you forced yourself to move, grabbing two clean cups and filling them with fresh coffee from the machine beside your desk.

"Follow me," you said, leading them toward the door in the back.

You knocked lightly before pushing it open, stepping inside just long enough to set the coffee down in front of Mr. Lim. He barely acknowledged you, his focus already on the two women stepping into the room.

"Sit," he said, motioning lazily to the chairs across from his desk.

Sae-byeok and No-eul exchanged a glance before doing as they were told. You remained standing by the side, silently preparing to sort through any paperwork if needed.

"I assume you have an update for us," Sae-byeok said, her voice steady despite the tension in her shoulders.

Mr. Lim exhaled through his nose, leaning back in his chair as he picked up his coffee. "That depends. You have the rest of my payment?"

Sae-byeok’s jaw tightened. "Not yet."

"Then my update is that nothing’s changed."

Silence hung heavy in the room. You could feel the frustration radiating off them, thick enough to suffocate.

No-eul was the one to break it. "Please," she said, leaning forward slightly. "We just need to know if she’s safe. If she’s still in the camp."

Mr. Lim took a slow sip of his coffee, setting the cup down with an infuriating lack of urgency. "Your mother was last reported in Hamgyong. The camp she was in had a tuberculosis outbreak recently. If she’s still alive, she’s not in good condition."

Sae-byeok’s fingers curled into fists against her lap, but she said nothing.

No-eul swallowed hard. "And my daughter?"

You hadn’t expected that.

You glanced at her, but her gaze was locked onto Mr. Lim, her expression carefully composed.

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "I told you before—there’s no way a child that young survived on her own up there."

No-eul’s face remained unreadable, but the way her nails dug into the fabric of her pants gave her away. "You said it was a possibility."

"I said there was a chance. A slim one."

You looked away, pretending to focus on the papers in your hands even though you weren’t actually reading them. You had heard a lot of things in this office—desperation, anger, bargaining—but there was something about this that felt heavier.

Sae-byeok took a breath, forcing her voice to remain level. "If we bring the rest of your payment, how soon can you get her out?"

Mr. Lim shrugged. "Depends on when she’s stable enough to move. And if she’s still there to be moved."

The room fell into silence again, thick with unspoken words.

You cleared your throat lightly. "Would you like more coffee?"

It was a stupid question, but it was the only thing you could offer.

Sae-byeok shook her head. No-eul didn’t answer.

Mr. Lim leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. "Look, I get it. You want her back. You want both of them back. But things like this take time. And money."

"We’re working on it," Sae-byeok said, standing abruptly. "Let’s go, No-eul."

No-eul hesitated for half a second before nodding, pushing herself up from her chair.

As they turned to leave, something in your chest twisted.

They were getting screwed over.

You had seen it happen before, countless times. Mr. Lim always made promises, always dangled just enough hope to keep people coming back. And most of the time, they had no choice but to play along.

But something about them—about the way they carried the weight of their family on their shoulders, about the way No-eul had asked about a child she refused to believe was gone—made you feel something you weren’t supposed to feel.

You weren’t supposed to care.

But as the door closed behind them, you found yourself gripping the edges of the paperwork a little too tightly.

Maybe this time… you did. Because the office felt heavier after they left.

You could still feel their presence lingering in the air—the frustration, the desperation. The way No-eul had clung to the possibility of her daughter being alive, the way Sae-byeok had clenched her fists so tightly you thought she might break skin.

And the way Mr. Lim—your father—had dismissed them so easily, as if their suffering was just another transaction waiting to be completed.

You swallowed, setting down the paperwork you had been pretending to organize.

"Dad."

The word felt foreign on your tongue in this office, like it didn’t belong here. And maybe it didn’t—not in a place where you were just his assistant, not his daughter.

But you said it anyway.

Mr. Lim barely looked up, his focus still on the papers in front of him. "What?"

You hesitated for a split second. Then, before you could talk yourself out of it, you said, "Is there anything I can do to help them?"

Silence.

For a moment, he didn’t react. Didn’t move.

Then, slowly, he lifted his gaze to you, dark eyes sharp and unreadable.

"You want to help them?" His voice was quiet, but there was something dangerous underneath it.

You nodded. "They’re trying to get their family back. And I—" You hesitated, choosing your words carefully. "I have access to information, to your files—I could help move things along, push the process faster. Maybe even—"

The sound of his palm slamming against the desk made you flinch.

"Are you out of your mind?"

You forced yourself to stand your ground, even as your heart pounded against your ribs. "I just—"

"You just what?" His voice was sharp, cutting through the already tense air. "You think this is some charity? That you can bend the rules just because you feel bad?"

You clenched your jaw. "It’s not about that."

"Yes, it is," he snapped. "You’re letting emotions cloud your judgment. You think you can fix everything just because you want to? That’s not how this business works."

You swallowed hard, but you didn’t back down. "I just don’t see why we have to make it harder for them than it already is."

Mr. Lim exhaled sharply, shaking his head. He leaned back in his chair, expression dark. "You’re weak."

The words stung more than you wanted to admit.

"You’ve always been weak," he continued, voice cold. "That’s why you’ll never last in this world. You get too attached, too emotional. You think people like them wouldn’t screw you over the second they got the chance?"

You knew better than to argue. He wouldn’t listen. He never did.

But still, you couldn’t stop yourself from saying, "They’re not like that."

His eyes narrowed. "And you know that because…? You sat in a room with them for five minutes?"

You pressed your lips together, fingers curling into fists at your sides.

"Stay out of it," he said firmly. "Do your job, keep your head down, and don’t get involved in clients’ business. That’s not your place, and it never will be."

Your throat felt tight, but you nodded once, stiffly.

"Good," he muttered, turning back to his paperwork, already dismissing you. "Now get back to work."

You stood there for a moment longer, staring at him.

Then, without another word, you turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind you.

You had spent your entire life listening to him. Following his rules, staying in your lane.

But for the first time, deep down, you knew you weren’t going to listen.

Not this time.

taglist: @yenyu1s @monroesturnns @katieschry1 @noeulswifeyy

#sae byeok #fanfic #saebyeok x reader #squid game #wlw fiction #kang sae byeok x reader #ˋ°•*⁀➷ all i really want is you #wuh luh wuh #angst #angst with a sad ending #angst with a hopeful ending

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